“What if I die/With this song in my head?” is a bold way to start an album! Sucker, Jilian Medford’s fourth release under the Ian Sweet moniker, lives up to the intensity of that opening line. She is clearly influenced by early-2000s indie music—she sings in the confessional style of Regina Spektor and incorporates up-tempo synth-pop sounds reminiscent of Metric. Some tracks, like album standout “Sucker,” feature searing shoegaze guitars. While some of the slower tracks drag a bit, Ian Sweet keeps things vibrant with surprising moments of fist-pumping stadium rock.
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