“What even is this freaky venue?” asks Lindsey Jordan, speaking of Big Night Live, the souped-up nightclub that also hosts the occasional rock show. Jordan is the sole proprietor of Snail Mail, an indie rock band from Baltimore that has amassed a cult following since their inception in 2015. Her recent third LP Ricochet  explored a more mature sound with a focus on layering and song structure. Snail Mail are touring the new album with a myriad of different acts; Boston got the special privilege of hosting both Chicago’s Sharp Pins and hometown heroes, Swirlies.

Kicking off with the first two tracks from Ricochet, Jordan and crew fired right into “Tractor Beam” and “My Maker,” two of the more unassuming tracks from the new record to help warm up the crowd before dipping into the archives. “It’s such a niche tuning,” laughed Jordan as the crowd reacted loudly when she tunes her guitar for “Heat Wave,” the second single from her 2018 debut record and inarguably one of the project’s biggest songs. The crowd got even louder when Jordan ripped into the lead guitar lines, giving a beloved part even more hype.

The setlist wonderfully mixed old and new. Some of the deeper cuts from the new album got their time to shine like “Agony Freak” and “Nowhere” (two of my favorites). Fans that stuck around were treated to an encore of golden oldies: “Pristine,” (Snail Mail’s very first single) and “Thinning,” the stand-out track from the 2016 Habit EP that originally got Jordan signed to Matador Records in tandem. With more and more “industry” focus on progression and evolution, it’s wonderful to see bands still revisit their early work and the material that their fans clung to from the start.

Snail Mail is on tour through mid May to celebrate the new album, Ricochet, available everywhere via Matador Records.

Check out the rest of Cam’s photos below