Shiverstruck

About

Singer-songwriter Jilian Medford has been the central force of IAN SWEET since the fuzz-pop act’s formation more than a decade ago. But on <i>Shiverstruck</i>, IAN SWEET’s fifth album, Medford is putting distance between herself and her signature project: “Jilian/Go on and tell ’em that you’re sick of it…/Oh, it’s a cruel world you’re livin’ in,” she sings on the shimmering <b>“Jilian,”</b> her winsome croon orbited by a slide guitar that sounds like emphatic tear. That sharpened sense of perspective imbues the music and lyrics on <i>Shiverstruck</i>, which Medford wrote after a stint in New York where she worked as a songwriter for children while dealing with the music industry’s 21st-century challenge. Tracks like the steely-eyed <b>“Wild Heart”</b> chart her increased resilience and emphatically cast off of the “sad girl” label placed on her music: “I don’t even cry anymore/You’re not worth cryin’ for,” she assert, her soprano slicing through synths in a way that underscores her resolve. <b>“Hired Gun”</b> gains sonic power as Medford’s healing from a “dog licking at open wounds” progresse, eventually climaxing in crashing riffs and drums as she realizes she can protect herself while staying compassionate; <b>“Criminal Kissing”</b> combines an anthemic, synth-drenched chorus with whispered longing and romantic nostalgia. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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