IAN SWEET - Shapeshifter LP (White Vinyl)

Label: Hardly Art

The first full-length album from IAN SWEET (formerly just IAN) is the kind of ode to youth that is simultaneously profoundly invigorating and emotionally stimulating; the record is both at odds with, and confronts the intricacies specific to any set of relationships that form in the late adolescent years. Shapeshifter finds Jilian Medford, Tim Cheney, and Damien Scalise expanding their tight, meandering noise pop compositions into songs that feel profoundly individualistic and whole, never settling on a predictable turn.

Indeed, it is rare that a record seems so wholly divined as Shapeshifter does; there are moments, like on the wavy “Shapeshifter,” that IAN SWEET sound so peculiar and so talented that it feels as if this record could not have actually come from the 20-somethings that it did. Who makes a record this good?Shapeshifter is a phenomenal record that, beyond having significant intrinsic meaning, is a rewarding listen. It somehow finds a unique middle zone between musical virtuosity and emotional maturity all while remaining a profoundly enjoyable experience.