Further expanding the idiosyncratic noise pop of her band, songwriter
Jilian Medford's third
IAN SWEET album,
Show Me How You Disappear, steps up the production while adding shimmery synths to a sound palette still rooted in a combination of distortion and sweet-toothed melodies. Several producers collaborated on various songs, among them
Andrew Sarlo (
Big Thief,
Hand Habits) and Andy Seltzer (
Maggie Rogers,
Chelsea Cutler). Recorded after
Medford entered treatment for worsening panic attacks, many of the lyrics here address the aftermath of trauma, related relationships, and repetitive thought patterns. Despite its fretful state of mind (evident in song titles like "Dirt" and "Sing 'til I Cry"), bittersweet tunefulness and the singer's youthful, rasp-free delivery keep
Show Me How You Disappear squarely in indie pop territory. The dance club-injected "Sword," for instance, features a grooving bassline, spongy synth tones, and handclap-like snare overlays. Together with a repeated melodic, high-pitched whooping effect, the arrangement gives playful accompaniment to lines like, "How do I start to feel less like a deadly weapon?/After you made me believe I have the sharpest edges?" Although the record opens with screeching feedback and a sung-spoken rant ("My Favorite Cloud"), it quickly settles into a mix of layered acoustic and heavily processed timbres, catchy melodies, and thickset beats, as on second track "Drink the Lake." While songs like the wistful "Dirt" and "I See Everything" are sparser to begin, they collect instruments and noise as they progress (unexpected horns and staticky electronics in the case of the latter), as if to represent an inescapable weight. If undeniably anxious, the album is ultimately about healing, ending with the words "I'm not afraid anymore/I see it now, I see so much more than before/I see everything." It's also
IAN SWEET's most consistent set of songs to date. ~ Marcy Donelson