The Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy co-headlining tour recently made its second stop at The Fillmore Silver Spring. The tour is a co-headlining match made in heaven — two iconic female guitarists and singer-songwriters who rose to indie prominence in the late 2010s.
Soccer Mommy, the stage name of Sophie Allison, took the stage first on Oct. 1. I first became aware of Soccer Mommy in high school with her debut studio album Clean. The songs “Your Dog” and “Cool” were staples of my playlists. I got to see her open for Foster the People and Paramore back in 2018. I caught her at the All Things Go Festival in 2024 and at the 9:30 Club in 2025. Soccer Mommy is essential to the “sad girl” music sphere.
She opened with the 2020 track “Circle the Drain” from her second studio album, Color Theory. The lyrics describe falling into a negative spiral, but the instrumentation feels optimistic and bright. Critics have described her music as “bubblegrunge,” drawing inspiration from ’90s alternative rock and shoegaze-influenced bedroom pop. She played “Abigail” from the 2024 album Evergreen, which she dedicated to her wife in the video game Stardew Valley. Allison asked if anyone in the audience was gay, which drew cheers from many in the crowd. She also commented that she thought Silver Spring was better than DC and Baltimore.
Allison played “Driver,” another single from Evergreen, and reminded the crowd that 2024 was two whole years ago. “Driver” is filled with driving guitar riffs and spacey vocals. What got me was remembering that I last saw Soccer Mommy in January 2025, although I could have sworn I saw her in January 2026. Oh, how time flies.
Watch Soccer Mommy perform “Driver” live at WFUV on YouTube:
“Shotgun” from Sometimes, Forever has layered guitar parts that create a clean, blissful sound. She thanked the audience and said, “How about an old one? This is like the tour that should’ve happened in 2018 anyways.” The glistening opening chords of “Cool” began to play, much to my excitement.
Allison also played her newest release, “Rings of Saturn.” The opening chords and strumming pattern remind me of Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me,” really emphasizing that ’90s rock influence. Both songs are spacey and hopelessly romantic, but Soccer Mommy leans more melancholy.
Allison performed “Still Clean” solo, which matched the song thematically — it yearns for someone who has abandoned her. She thanked the crowd for coming out and said the tour had “the best bill in the world.”
Next was “royal screw up” from Color Theory, a brutally honest track tackling insecurities and self-destructive tendencies. Its confessional nature, sweet vocal tones, and driving guitars make it a quintessential Soccer Mommy song.
Soccer Mommy concluded the set with “Your Dog” from Clean. This track had me wrapped around its finger in high school. I found it endlessly relatable amid all my teenage angst. I especially love how the bassline carries the song and blends effortlessly with the twisting, arpeggiated guitar riff.
Snail Mail, the rock project of 27-year-old Lindsey Jordan, closed the evening in her home state of Maryland. Hailing from Ellicott City, Maryland, Snail Mail became a local celebrity in my hometown with the 2016 EP Habit.
Snail Mail subsequently broke through with the release of the 2018 debut album Lush, garnering attention from indie music publications everywhere. Pitchfork notably became a major supporter, granting Lush the coveted No. 5 spot on its “50 Best Albums of 2018” list. On its “100 Best Songs of 2018” list, “Heat Wave” earned the No. 63 spot, while “Pristine” landed at No. 6 — high honors from indie music tastemakers.
The second album, Valentine (2021), continued to exceed expectations, landing at No. 15 on Pitchfork’s “Best Albums of 2021” list. Jordan toured extensively for the album and even ventured into acting with a role in Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow (2024). Five years later, Snail Mail returned with a third record, Ricochet.
Snail Mail triumphantly took the stage and introduced the band as being from Ellicott City. I couldn’t help but whoop upon hearing the name of my hometown.
Snail Mail opened with “Tractor Beam,” the lead track from Ricochet. It begins with bright, airy guitars that heavily evoke ’90s alternative rock and features Jordan’s wispy vocals. Fans and critics alike have noted similarities to The Presidents of the United States of America’s 1995 song “Peaches.” The recording also has orchestral layers reminiscent of The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony.”
Watch the official music video for “Tractor Beam” by Snail Mail on YouTube:
“Nowhere” has bending guitar riffs that feel like classic Snail Mail. “Dead End,” Ricochet’s lead single, sounds bright but laments young adulthood and drifting relationships. Snail Mail then went back to the band’s roots with “Heat Wave.” “Dead End” reminisces about the period when “Heat Wave” would have been written, so hearing the two in succession made for a cinematic experience.
“Hell,” “Agony Freak,” and “Reverie,” all from Ricochet, followed in the set. They reinforce the album’s themes of impending death, aging, acceptance, and growing up.
“Reverie” starts softly with a solo guitar and Jordan’s unfiltered voice. It brings in orchestral backing, much like “Tractor Beam,” making it a beautiful album closer that leaves the listener feeling optimistic. It’s one of my favorites from the album, and I particularly love its defiant yet affectionate outro lyrics.
“My Maker” highlights Jordan’s emerging falsetto after she battled vocal polyps that required surgery and a lengthy recovery. The track is existential and ethereal, moving from thoughts of mortality to an airport bar in heaven that Jordan probably can’t get into.
Snail Mail brought out Soccer Mommy to perform a cover of Ride’s “Vapour Trail.” The ’90s shoegaze influence brought Jordan and Allison together perfectly. The cover began with Jordan on vocals and guitar, while Allison shyly swayed in the darkness onstage. She joined in with harmonies, although there appeared to be some sound difficulties. Allison seemed to be repeatedly adjusting her in-ear monitor, but the performance succeeded nonetheless.
“All right. We’re gonna play one off of Lush,” Jordan said, raising her voice for emphasis on “Lush.”
The band started but immediately stopped because Jordan’s guitar was out of tune. During the tuning, the crowd began chanting either “Snail” or “Mail” — it was unclear which — and Jordan responded, “Huh?”
An audience member shouted in a deep, booming voice, “WE’RE READY! FOR YOU!” That made me giggle.
“Valentine” was the only track performed from the album of the same name. The song begins at a slow tempo with raw honesty before exploding into a chorus filled with longing and heartbreak.
Jordan performed “Ricochet” as a duo with a cellist playing the skinniest cello I’d ever seen. It was a beautiful end to the regular set.
Afterward, Jordan waved and ran off stage right. She shortly reappeared from stage left, with the rest of the band returning.
“We’re gonna do one more. Thank you guys so much,” Jordan said before jokingly introducing a supposedly new song called “Silver Springsteen” that she claimed to have written just that night for the audience.
The band then played the beloved track “Pristine” to close the evening.
If you have the opportunity to catch a show on this tour, you absolutely should. The Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy combination is so perfect that it shouldn’t be missed.
Here are some photos of Snail Mail and then Soccer Mommy performing live at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Oct. 1, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.
