Snail Mail: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

[@tragically1982]

Here's how this normally goes for me. Randomly discover an artist in a playlist that I absolutely fall in love with. Dive deep into live shows on KZbin and then inevitably find out that Tiny Desk had them on 4-5 years before I even knew about them. You guys are the best!

[@maiditafilms]

Me too

[@evanismakingmusic]

Same bro

[@addamtate1230]

Yep

[@Proutt]

Ain't that the truth

[@julioemmanuelespina7493]

dude same. twas only yesterday that I got wind of the Valentine album and now I'm obsessing about em. What a gifted band.

[@JueGaBuenO]

SNailed it

[@hambonefakenamington69]

epic

[@darksiderhythm]

Imagine being able to get close to doing something as good as writing Thinning when you were a teenager. What a legend.

[@surreptitiouswritings]

Jackson Browne wrote "These Days" when he was 16. Pretty tough to beat that.

[@mholder1324]

@@surreptitiouswritings Both accomplishments are huge. We don't have to diminish one by comparing to the other. There's room for both to be legends :)

[@surreptitiouswritings]

@@mholder1324 I mean no disrespect, but I completely disagree. I dont find the lyrics of thinning to be profound or moving at all. They read to me as exactly what they are; (the work on her debut is significantly better) where like you said, they dont need to be compared, but again, these days is a song lyrically that is so far ahead of its time that 50 years later we are still discussing it.

[@rickp46]

@@surreptitiouswritings Give us a sample of what you wrote at 16. We can analyze it until we lose the spirit of the point.

[@sonsterlad3326]

Mike Oldfield wrote Tubular Bells at 19. One of the greatest pieces of music.

[@mjcrites1738]

I'll always have a big soft spot for loud jangly three piece bands. This was wonderful. Thanks.

[@billypilgrim1]

Loud?

[@lptomtom]

This is basically a two piece band though, the bassist's Hofner is so muddy and undermixed you can't hear most of what he plays (which doesn't matter much since he mostly plays root notes)

[@DavidFregoli]

@@billypilgrim1 STOP USING HEARING PROTECTION

[@shimmipenguin1764]

@@lptomtom ye man i cant hear any bass

[@mightyV444]

@@lptomtom - I hear the bass just fine, through good headphones ;-) I was listening to the original recording of 'Slug' the other day for the first time, which actually doesn't have any bass in it at all but two guitars!

[@acnowmc7749]

I'm 63 and I love this music

[@SpoonBoss]

no one is impressed, come back in 6 years

[@awesomeface265]

SpoonBoss don’t be mean :(

[@AudibleVisibIe]

Im 101

[@freddiesmith-wright7531]

oh yeah well im 12 so ha ha

[@lamewavemusic6756]

good for you! A lot of older people don't even bother looking into newer music :)

[@rubyfunn7889]

No one gnna talk bout how tight those drums are?? Dudes a beast

[@rubyfunn7889]

progjazzfusion nice name bro, totally not the wankiest genre

[@Tensen01]

He may have been wrong about the drummer... but he wasn't wrong about you... Wankiest is a perfect description. "True diehard music fans" awwww muffin keep wanking "don't judge other genres" right after you just did...

[@rubyfunn7889]

progjazzfusion lol dude 'hur dur music concrete i listen to robert johnson ANNND frank zappa have yu even heard of japanoise? Omg go bak 2 ur indi bandz yu pleb' you come across like a 12 year old that listens to the beatles in TWENNYSEVENTEEN

[@rubyfunn7889]

progjazzfusion obviously im not an 'indie kid' if i listen to music concrete & krautrock

[@rubyfunn7889]

progjazzfusion yu probz wuldnt even no the genres yu pleb

[@laylaparsa4117]

She is so incredible. I met her after she opened for Japanese Breakfast in Athens and half the crowd was there to see her. Lush is going to be legendary.

[@thomasgooden]

Layla Parsa what do you think was meant by her at the end of slug when it was asked to the slug, why do you hide under our feet since you would never find anything in the spring? It was an enigmatic lyric, seemingly nonsensical.

[@ricardotreehi2384]

Missing Japanese breakfast and snail mail on the same ticket will always be one of my biggest regrets 😭

[@laylaparsa4117]

I think it's always hard to pinpoint what an artist is thinking when they write a seemingly deep lyric like that. In my opinion, I would think that the slug is representative of something or someone in her life and she's inquiring as to why the "slug" is wasting its time when there's nothing there for it.

[@laylaparsa4117]

It was an awesome experience! I'm sorry you didn't catch it :(

[@ricardotreehi2384]

Layla Parsa I caught snail mail two weeks ago, and Japanese breakfast comes in October, so all is well :).

[@thepeacescarf]

I knew Lindsey when she was doing Arcade Fire Suburbs covers on youtube and uploading them to tumblr. I used to think she was so talented for her age, at that time I think she was only 13 or so. We would chat now and again about our love for Arcade Fire and such. I cant believe shes now on Tiny Desk all these years later!!! GO GIRL!

[@chaseadams347]

is her old content still available?

[@portopilzi]

thepeacescarf yo what's her tumblr

[@thepeacescarf]

Unfortunately I don't have it anymore as I deactivated a long time ago, and I cant find her stuff on youtube anymore but it was great. Cant believe how she is a rising star now! So happy for her!!

[@lewis6590]

seems like you're creepy if that's where your mind went after that conversation.

[@graficandorealidades7561]

ikr, that's crazy. Not a long time ago I saw her cover of one of my favorite song's of all time "alison" from slowdive and I thought she was cute as hell. Of course I subscribed. That time she had lots of other cover's of songs that I didn't know, but none of them had much views like this. Her recordings was quite amateur, so is quite mindblowing to see her success right now. For some reason she deleted that past covers

[@setphaser]

she is a great guitarist, i love watching her play

[@adjoasam8150]

setphaser yeah oath

[@Winterharbourmusic]

Great guitar as well I have the same one and it is so good

[@gabrielhiggins9991]

Finlay Hatton is it an American Original - I can’t really tell here?

[@joevaughan818]

@@gabrielhiggins9991 she uses an american nowadays, but she used to use the classic player special which is the one in this vid.

[@gabrielhiggins9991]

Joe Vaughan that’s cool, thank you!

[@maxmoorhead7863]

The slight imperfections in her great voice are perfect.

[@whimshroud]

i know right, personally i really really like it

[@motomoto7785]

Bruh this a double negative

[@maxmoorhead7863]

@@motomoto7785 "Bruh" isn't a word.

[@motomoto7785]

@@maxmoorhead7863 okay bruh

[@wee0fps61]

@@motomoto7785 no cause it's what makes it good

[@cjward286]

Welcome to tiny desk concerts better than Coachella 100%

[@tomscott9903]

Coachella is pathetic

[@joshttale]

the intimacy of the smaller audience and lessened stage pressure as a result makes a H U G E difference

[@daveryan2148]

@@jasonwalkerthesecond7443 multiple desks to check out... Could be called Tiny office

[@conradquale7506]

good thing u didn’t say 100 times cuz 100 times 0 is still 0

[@MichaelSalmons64]

True! I can watch tiny desk concerts totally sober and not wish I were dead.

[@pamzoh1230]

It's 2019 and I'm still crying over this tiny desk

[@siqnoir3626]

Me in 2021

[@raymelone5]

2022 🥲

[@ronnie5021]

2023 LOL

[@danieli.9252]

@@ronnie5021 Same

[@EdgarGonzalez-kt5wl]

2023 almost 2024 @@ronnie5021

[@defnotcameron_6494]

She just casually tunes the guitar while entertaining the crowd,and it comes out sounding like that.. oh yea and This whole performance was incredible.. new high score

[@NorigoPT]

To be fair, it's very common for musicians to do that. Talk a bit while tuning so there's no dead time

[@Alex-xv5gz]

Four years later, I'm still watching this video for self-care. LJ is iconic!

[@AnthonySeptic]

Her guitar playing is so natural and fluid #goals

[@JamesThomas-wf6qm]

That's what happens where you tour as much as her. Poor girl was on the road for like 2 years touring lush.

[@troy8420]

@@JamesThomas-wf6qm This is before lush tho

[@MrFingerboardmaker]

@@troy8420 She had Mary Timony of Helium as her teacher so that adds to it as well

[@tiemeyrelles]

I can't​ remember the last time I listened to 'anytime' without crying. Mainly because there wasn't one

[@Smallfrogs]

Ooooo they definitely got that NPR Tiny Desk Sound

[@fartknocker8363]

No, this sounds like shit.

[@yungpaperxo]

Fart Knocker well, fuck man. you said it. i guess npr tiny desk sounds like shit man. damn.

[@o.binwheelie9733]

Jokes on u bc ur not very polite and that is not usually a good characteristic

[@jacksonwright5145]

I can't get over this concert. Lindsey's voice is so honest and the way it draws you in is just inexplicable... I'm a musician nearing 30 and seeing these shy, awkward kids do their thing is so heartwarming. It gives me hope for the future of music.

[@Jenksrock15]

"Slug" 0:00 "Thinning" 5:05 "Anytime" 10:04

[@clinicallybraindead2878]

I love you.

[@punkandprovocation]

Doing God’s work.

[@user-bq4xk2yh6i]

my fav snail mail song starts at 505? what a perfect combination of my interests

[@beewcar]

@@user-bq4xk2yh6i I frequently find myself going back to 505, if it’s a 7 hour flight or a 45 minute drive

[@deathchips926]

I’m 574 years old and I like this music

[@SahilJain22]

Never heard of this band but the start has me hooked.

[@mightyV444]

@Sahil Jain - I had heard (of) them for the very first time only a few weeks ago when someone was playing that same intro to 'Slug' in their guitar lesson video which then got me to check them out :-)

[@adamlaxmusic]

Anytime I hear someone say “There’s no good music these days.” I gladly guide them to this band.

[@portopilzi]

I LOVE SNAIL MAIL SO MUCH

[@portopilzi]

I can not wait for the album jfc

[@tomlamiam]

I love this sound! Reminds me of the mid/late 90s.

[@user-dn1po1qw6n]

One of my favorite bands!!!!! This is LIVE! It sounds just like the songs on her album! That’s how good she and the band really are! I love them so much!!!!

[@dirtydanandthebasketballbo305]

Y’all should get crumb to play next!

[@LPSfreakable]

Zachariah Lussier dude I’d watch that in a heart beat

[@yahstino]

This needs to happen

[@evelyn-ed7nn]

i'd cry

[@PatriciaLalor]

Zachariah Lussier Y E S

[@BeaverK1ng]

As an old guy that was into Belly, The Breeders, etc in the early 90s, this rocks.

[@quesoblanco_]

For some reason, this brings back some nostalgia.

[@youtubeviewer9574]

It’s screams 90 indies that’s why, sounds like a band that would have toured with Sonic Youth or the Pixies maybe even Lilith Fair etc. They would have been like the Toadies imo, not on the level of the monsters but damn good with a strong following.

[@joelhernandez393]

Same

[@zack.hughes]

Y’all should get Peach Pit in here

[@annamacleod7118]

YES

[@socko7336]

yes, thank you

[@juveangulo9963]

That would be sickkk

[@connorleno4202]

That would be amazing

[@imnotsasya]

i would sign this petition

[@adrianslim4928]

Lindseys lil mosh in the middle of Thinning is adorable!

[@austintrousdale2397]

Adrian Slim Tiny desk... little mosh

[@clara-ul9gq]

i love her voice SO MUCH

[@inkyoggy]

Me too!🙌

[@froginatub]

Caught 'thinning' on the radio last night, dug it and looked for more Snail Mail this morning- imagine my surprise seeing this had /just been posted. Life is full of strange coincidences! (And this is a great one- these guys rule)

[@SapphireDreamssss]

froginatub college radio?

[@froginatub]

Yup! WRUV. They have a bunch of great shows, and they stream online too!

[@dmitri4005]

I’ve never smiled so hard listening to something for the first time a while

[@bernardoestrela6029]

my god Anytime makes my heart jump out of my mouth everytime. gorgeous music

[@zasddsaf]

also she just got signed to MATADOR!

[@dalanium98]

oh damn

[@minime453]

This makes me happy

[@sarah-tw7eh]

sick!!! i’m so proud oof another one of my favorite bands is signed by them

[@josiecameron4349]

Drummers can be overlooked.....but we know they are the rock of all bands.

[@declanbcorcoran]

Lush is one of my favourite albums of all time

[@delewan]

Gosh... they look so young... I feel so old! Great group, I dig that sound.

[@sporff]

Slug is forever stuck in my head.

[@CMQ01]

Remind me so much of 90's alt music. Bands like Jale etc. good stuff

[@jaguartony]

CMQ could you recommend me some bands like those?

[@CMQ01]

Sure. Try: early Liz Phair, Belly, Throwing Muses, Blake Babies. Julianna Hatfield solo. Letters to Cleo, Lush, Julie Doiron. Just search 90's alternative female bands. You'll find lots of them. Snail Mail would fit right in a long side all of those bands in the mid 90's.

[@raoulduke8170]

Sunny Day Real Estate for sure...sounds good yes but CMQ you are correct

[@gibran5000]

you gotta throw 'sunny day real estate' in there.

[@raoulduke8170]

CMQ Juliana Hatfield solo?? Cmon!!!! The Lemonheads are a quintessential 90s band....They in my top 5 90s bands for sure!!!

[@inphanta]

Lindsey is phenomenal, especially for her age. She makes what she does seem effortless, which is a sign of true talent. And she comes across as a genuinely adorable, likeable person as well. Beyond that, she's nailed the 90s alt-rock vibe down exceptionally well (and you can definitely hear some of Mary Timony's influence in her playing style). She's just getting started. May she continue to spread her wings.

[@simplynochannel]

An extremely good guitar player. First time I've seen a Fender Jaguar BTW. She plays it like mixing a rhythm guitar and melodic solos at the same time. Impressive. And without much effort.. Riffs remind me more of The Cure though, just my op.

[@TanksYouVeryMuch]

Brings me back to better times at Michigan State 2016-19. Then finished it all with seeing her live at MOPOP Detroit. Very talented artist.

[@OBS-ip2hy]

Preach

[@mattyhanson4767]

I just showed this to my friend who said "This sounds reasonably niche in a way that a person who listens to it is probably cool And depressed but in a cool way"

[@mynamesMihir]

depressed but in a cool way???

[@crizensushi]

my crush suggested snail mail and that describes him- depressed but in a cool way

[@cherrysfunk]

i wish i was cool

[@Billy-rz1jg]

You can be cool and you can be depressed, you can even be cool and depressed but there is no being depressed in a cool way because depression isn't cool. Please don't romanticize depression, it literally kills people.

[@brock985]

depression cannot be in a cool way, you can be cool with depression but don’t downplay it

[@Vann_Scale_Modeling]

it says so much about an artist when their live performance sounds exactly as the album does. there’s so much feeling in this, it’s perfect.

[@zacharyno9598]

new record shall be fresh. this sounds great. love her playing.

[@sklisawesome]

her voice sounds so good here. even better than the studio version imo

[@davlor86]

Such a shame she doesn’t sound anything like this anymore 😕 her 2017 voice was impeccable

[@coroquetes]

Oh man, such a beautiful guitar sound...

[@NorCalProf1]

So fun seeing them then and now (on YT). Saw them first on KEXP and then lots more and finally circled back to the original and best...Tiny Desk. I was hooked with her guitar tone and alternate tuning, but her voice really grew on me. Love them.

[@jose_rosales1]

Why does anytime always make me cry smh

[@AlbertoAstorga98]

I saw her 2 weeks ago. Absoluty wonderful voice...great artist

[@kinda_ded4443]

that dudes drumming is so smooth! goals af

[@sametzweiler2630]

The production and mix are fantastic

[@BrandonMobley614]

@Twooba sent me here. Absolutely outstanding.

[@PC_18098]

I keep coming back to this for soul healing, love ya Lindsey 😩

[@xinx.3180]

the drummer is so cuuuuuuuute

[@eatingoutmore]

saw them live last summer and I cried during Anytime.

[@CharlieKnottFilms]

Saw them last night. Their tonality and use of a progressive, melancholy mood makes for a good feeling, something realistic. 'Anytime' is my favorite for this reason.

[@inyostudio]

love that shirt

[@mariamoooooo]

just saw them live in atlanta today and i absolutely loved it, you guys killed it

[@pipefx64]

this performance of slug is so good, literally my favourite thing right now, can't stop listening. chills every time

[@noahnoahnoahnoah]

Makes me feel like long summers at school. Love some of the lyrics

[@111dontworry]

The chord progression on anytime was beautiful.

[@localtavernsluteplayer2182]

I always like her facial expressions

[@joshuabrogi8648]

Her voice gives me chills every time.

[@kyra5809]

still my favorite band to ever exist

[@eliaslanger6652]

I'm just gonna sit here and wait till Day Wave or Car Seat Headrest collabs with these beauties...

[@shawndavis9070]

They played a concert together at Madison square garden

[@chc6644]

Anytime is the best god damn song. God bless Snail Mail. Habit EP saves me everyday

[@ernestoadamecendejas2951]

i love lindsey so much

[@SunnyBear]

Lindsey is one of indie rock’s greatest hopes. Great gig!

[@innerwaves5462]

I can’t stop coming back to this vid ❤️

[@stuartblittley3531]

she’s so good at singing holy heck! all the little imperfections in her voice really make her unique and something different to me, honestly. also, she looks really pretty here, even while belting it out in Thinning. props to the guy on drums and the other guy in guitar. love the sound, love me some LJ what can i say 🎸 (that emoji really looks like her guitar lol)

[@scorpio9736]

I always come back to this.

[@xoneverender]

Wow this is even better than the Audiotree Session. Fantastic. Can't get enough of their sound. Wow.

[@avaharam7773]

I dont think anyone understands how much I love her

[@fam_margera]

Luka English saaame omg.

[@legomegaman101]

this version of slug is just so dang good

[@avuci]

her instrumentals are so sublime.

[@radders19871]

So glad you guys invited her on, can't wait until she comes to the UK.. She's great

[@johnpickk7526]

Finally happeninggggg

[@dylansabbath9085]

she's a great guitar player

[@levelsetgo5331]

Man I miss this era of Snail Mail, hope she comes back around to this style

[@windcottrill7013]

I hope to see them live someday.

[@alfredpadilla6535]

She’s sooooooooooo good… Lots of love 🖤 from So Cali.

[@lf4692]

This is so much better than the recording on the EP let's pray that the debut album has mixing like this video 🙏

[@izchildress]

See, idk why everyone is saying Lindsey's vocals sound bad in many of the videos posted of her on KZbin. In this Tiny Desk Concert I think she sounds amazing!!! And I mean, c'mon, you're forgetting to account for extenuating circumstances (ex. when she was sick, had issues from overusing her voice due to touring, etc.). Not every performance is your best performance, and that's okay. She's human, and a pretty talented one at that :)

[@joshnixon6390]

Man this band is so sick, yet another band Ive discovered from these tiny desk concerts, such an aweosme thing you guys are doing! plez come to england would definetly go to one of your shows!

[@maddiim64]

did anyone else notice the drummer and her both got their own shots but they bassist didn't... like give the bassist some cred man

[@getting-on-my-nirvana]

snail mail has perfect drums

[@dummyhard603]

I love her voice so much

[@CakeHunter333]

Julien Baker's upbeat cousin?

[@OosGuitar]

ikr, they are on the same label (matador) so it makes sense that they're similar in ways

[@NaNoWhisp]

Haha, cannot unhear now (and unsee too). Btw, Julien Baker > all.

[@ShockTheseTrees]

I wouldn't say "upbeat" but then again anything could be more upbeat compared to Julien Baker.

[@jonwarren1]

I was thinking the same thing. Both have that melancholy undertone but Jordan does seem a bit more upbeat.

[@AbbeyBrookeD]

holy heck! i was just thinking she has similar mannerisms

[@Ryhillchibulls]

The Sonic Youth vibes in the guitar of a young person is amazing.

[@huttthejabba875]

So glad I found her through this

[@dummyhard603]

I cannot wait to see them live!

[@austinalsobrook599]

Just heard about them on NPR this afternoon ridin home from work, samples off the new Lush album. Wow i had no idea! Awesome!!!!

[@Skiptracer1981]

Reminds me of a lot of the 90s stuff I used to listen to. Julie Doiron, Liz Phair, etc. Really talented songwriter!

[@Corbin91333]

Incredible man. Incredible. Listening to this at midnight in complete darkness. Just this amazing session and I.

[@cannonw59]

The louder the better...well done, Snail Mail! Peace&Love!

[@alonso8458]

for anyone interested in playing thinning the tuning is open E (DADF#AD) with a capo on the second

[@penis2020_]

it also works with regular tuning with E Aadd9, Badd11 & C#m

[@micheckcheck]

My inner hipster is enjoying this so much.

[@mylittlewhatnow]

My outer hipster is doing the same!

[@CamKnoppMusic]

I'm seeing them opening up for Beach Fossils in mid-October. Gonna be a sick show that inner hipster will enjoy a lot

[@SapphireDreamssss]

i also plan to go to that. i wish it was all them though, cause it's less likely they'll play my favorites stick/dirt

[@CamKnoppMusic]

Ayana J i bet theyll play pretty much all the songs from the EP, cuz thats what people wanna see. Also, beach fossils is a really good band, so I'm excited to see them too

[@SapphireDreamssss]

yeah they're cool

[@RabbiRabbit87]

Love these guys

[@4m1r1ndr2s]

Second song have a lot of Sonic Youth "Incinerate". Good work anyways

[@CristianMarkovich]

4m1r1ndr2s agreed!

[@user-ck9lm6xi1o]

Idk about that song, but Pristine’s sound was directly inspired by Incinerate.

[@joaojoaojoaojoaojoao2113]

omg yes i listened to lush today and a lot of parts just felt like incinerate (this is a good thing btw i love incinerate and sonic youth)

[@TheFaceChecker]

yeah, she had that song in her instagram story some time ago

[@rodrigogranja9470]

she mentions that track in an interview

[@thing944]

Oooh maaaan, I need to know that tuning for Anytime. What a beautiful song.

[@joshfairweather9029]

It’s in standard