On Snail Mail's debut album, Lush, Lindsey Jordan makes the music I wish had existed growing up in New York's suburbs: A sort of gauzy reinterpretation of contemplative late-'90s indie rock minus the Dashboard Confessional-era songwriter tropes. 'You're always coming back a little older, but it looks all right on you': That single line sums up the notion of returning home better than some entire songs do. Should open for : Built to Spill, Liz Phair, Paul Westerberg, boygenius Goes well with : The return trip after visiting your hometown in the winter 'Clear-eyed melodies and reverb-heavy guitars recall the muddled and disorderly transition from teenage years to young adulthood.' Equally stunning at top volume ('Soft Stud') and in hushed tones ('Indians Never Die'), it's a beautiful, singular collection of songs penned and performed by a voice that cuts through the noise of a cataclysmic world. Her debut full-length, Mother of My Children, draws from Paul's experiences of romantic heartbreak, the death of a mentor and the destruction to the Standing Rock Reservation in the wake of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Inspired by a childhood that included both Swinomish music at family pow-wows and bootleg VHS tapes of Nirvana and Hole, Paul's music is a stirring interpretation of multiple lineages of PNW music, full of emotional depth, looping keyboards and gliding guitars. The latest chapter of Pacific Northwest music is being written by Katherine Paul, the Portland, Ore.-based multi-instrumentalist and producer who records as Black Belt Eagle Scout. Should open for : Sleater-Kinney, Mount Eerie, Mitski, Lady Lamb, Big Thief Goes well with : Long drives with everything to think about, facing struggles both internal and external

'A vivid and resonant voice to carry forward the rich heritage of music from the Northwestern U.S.'

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