(Photo Credit - Kelsey Hart)
We were able to get advance access to IAN SWEET's new album Crush Crusher! IAN SWEET is LA's Jilian Medford who's alt-indie sound is a unique blend of raw emotional lyrics, melodic instrumentation, and fantastic vocals. Below you will find a track by track breakdown of the album, our overall review, and the dates for IAN SWEET's upcoming tour (which we will be attending!).
Crush Crusher Review:
1. "Hiding" - A strong opener and one of our favorites on the album overall. The chorus thunders forward in this song with SWEET's vocals hovering over them like a cloud. The pairing is magnificent.
2. "Spit" - We loved the melody in this song and how it shifted during the track. There were times it paused to highlight the vocals a bit which was a nice touch as well. The song almost had movements to it, with each playing their part at creating the whole.
3. "Holographic Jesus" - SWEET has a formula that we love. Vocals that pop, prominent guitar work reminiscent of indie stylings, and fierce percussion. This song paints right in those dots and we love it, as all aspects are given their time to shine and thrive here.
4."Bug Museum" - Mellow guitar chords with slight distortion accompanied by SWEET's fantastic vocals. We loved the lyrics in this track "I never believed in dying until I met you".
5."Question It" - SWEET displays her vocal range and her masterful control she has over her vocals in this one, at times slipping gently into falsetto. The melody in this track pairs perfectly with the vocals. There is even a cool period, where SWEET halts the music before kicking it back into gear. Overall a unique and great effort.
6. "Crush Crusher" - Begins with an electronic beat combined with SWEET's vocals and hypnotic guitar work. We love where this song goes. SWEET does a great job of balancing the melody and her vocals so one doesn't dominate the other. SWEET again shows off her vocal range coming in at perfectly on her lows, mediums, and highs.
7. "Falling Fruit" - Percussion leads the melody here with guitar and vocals complimenting nicely. The timing of the percussion is extremely interesting and unique from typical drum beats, it keeps the audience engaged. The guitars in this track remind us of a Modest Mouse track. SWEET takes us on a journey with her vocals checking off the boxes she wants to hit with masterful precision, she is a gifted singer.
8. "Borrowed Body"- Has the most indie edge of tracks on this album, with the guitars and vocals leading the way. Drums are there to hold it all up. The pace moves quick here, but we think it's appropriate. SWEET has a lot of fun vocally in this one again tipping on falsetto at times and also coming in with a scream or two.
9. "Ugly/Bored" - A evenly pace tracked with a melody that evoked comps to The Cranberries, with a modern alt twist. This song tangles a lot with self-perception and the how others perceive us within interpersonal relationships. An emotionally raw song, with some grit, we loved it.
10. "Your Arms are Water" - SWEET has such range, she loves to display it and we dig hearing it. She again tips at falsetto through upper inflection at the end of her phrasing and at critical points in her lyrics.
Closing Thoughts
Crush Crusher is an album full of raw emotion from SWEET who lays it out on the table. The lyrics don't pull punches and that's the way we like it. SWEETS second album is an achievement in our eyes as she conveys emotion not only through the lyrics, but she does so with the instrumentation and through uses of pauses and breaks within songs. You can tell SWEET poured a lot into this one, it shows.
Rating 5/5
IAN SWEET Tour
10/22 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios #
10/24 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern #
10/25 - Boise, ID @ The Olympic #
10/26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court #
10/27 - Denver, CO @ Hi Dive #
10/28 - Omaha, NE @ O'Leavers #
10/29 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry #
10/30 - Chicago @ Subterranean #
11/1 - Toronto, ON @ The Monarch #
11/2 - Buffalo @ Mohawk Place #
11/3 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott # ^
11/5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Park Church Co-op # ^
11/6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's # ^
11/7 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage #
11/8 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook #
11/9 - Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight #
11/10 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn #
11/11 - Orlando, FL @ 11Eleven Fest
11/12 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury #
11/13 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa #
11/14 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall #
11/15 - Dallas, TX @ Three Links #
11/16 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk #
11/19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar #
11/20 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar #
# w/ Young Jesus
^ w/ Sean Henry