Live music review: Snail Mail Rang in the New Year with Curated Bill at Mohawk

January 11, 2024 Drew Doggett 683 Views hard rock, indie rock, live music, mohawk, Narrow Head, New Year, New Year's Eve, On Being an Angel, Review, shoe gaze, Snail Mail

Fans rang in the New Year at Austin’s Mohawk with a curated bill from Snail Mail aka Lindsay Jordan which included Narrow Head and On Being An Angel.

After On Being Angel’s fuzzy pop set, Dallas punk-rock shoegazers Narrow Head warmed up the crowd with the highest energy set of the night. Narrow Head drew its own crowd in the fall of 2023 at Scoot Inn where they opened for White Reaper. The band’s sound stands at the crossroads of 90’s alternative-metal with a few dreamy textures on top. Repping a Houston Rockets jersey, frontman Jacob Duarte never shied away from brutal screams over the loud and muddy guitars. The band always captures the impassioned, raw energy of a hardcore band while still retaining the, quite frankly, pretty melodies they have on record.

Going by pure decibel level, their riffs towered over the other artists of the night with a wall-of-sound onslaught and fists-in-the-sky choruses. It seemed there were as many Narrow Head fans in the venue as there were Snail Mail fans.

Snail Mail’s setlist started off with some of her most recent singles ‘Valentine’ and ‘Ben Franklin’. In the former, the quieter verses set up triumphant choruses with Jordan exclaiming, “Why’d you wanna erase me? / Darling, valentine / You’ll always know where to find me / When you change your mind.”

While the reception on Valentine (the album) was a bit lukewarm compared to the rave reviews of Lush, the songs hit harder and were played at a faster tempo than on the recordings. Not quite hitting a mosh pit stirring level, but coaxing some enthusiastic head-banging from fans.

Halfway through the show, Jordan played a traditional cover of the tune, “Auld Lang Syne.” You know, the song everyone recognizes the melody to once it pops up at midnight on New Year but nobody knows a single word to.

Jordan wasn’t afraid to stop the show (they needed to restart fan favorite ‘Heat Wave’). With the band’s non-stop touring, the group appeared a little worn out rather than refined. The issue of sound mixing has followed the band over recent tours. I can’t help but think they would benefit from an extra guitar on top of the current three-piece to create a fuller sound.

That said, Jordan knows her way around a guitar. Her songwriting on the fretboard ranges from bright arpeggios and memorable choruses to slower ballads that feature deeply personal lyrics. Just watch any jam session of hers; you’ll see how her alternate tunings and improvised riffs reflect a seasoned guitarist well beyond her 24 years of age. While I may prefer to experience her virtuosity on her studio efforts, it’s always a worthwhile experience to see an artist create their sound live from scratch, rawness and all.