Reviewed by Genevieve Kyle
On January 12th, Jilian Medford who operates under the artistic name Ian Sweet, dropped her new EP entitled Drink The Lake. These songs are a preview into the singer-songwriter’s forthcoming third album, Show Me How You Disappear. “Drink The Lake” and its accompanying tracks are a perfect preview to the sounds of Ian Sweet and give a great teaser for the album to come.
“Drink the Lake” takes inspiration from Sweet’s 2018 album, Crush Crusher. Having the same hypnotic lyrics and slow robotic tones “Drink the Lake” gives the listener a glimpse, into Sweet’s shattered heart and tarnished mind. Through the chorus’s mainline of “saying your name backward so I can forget” Sweet states, the line “taps into my own twisted logic to try and break away from obsessive thought patterns. It turned into a pop anthem of seemingly silly ways to try and forget someone.” Not only does this track offer a greater insight into Sweet’s mind, but it also allows the listener to call into question our own lives and love interest, giving a reflection of who we hold dearly, and how we stand within a relationship.
The music video for “Drink the Lake” shows Sweet appearing to almost melt into a body of water. Slowly submerging, dressed in a suit, Sweet sings about her pain and redemption. As the video opens, the lyrics “Take love away you’ll have your whole life to live without the fear of dying ” are heard. Sweet is outlining the story that loneliness is sometimes the best thing for an individual, and pains a picture of rebirth and marking a clean slate. All around her men are dressed the same as Sweet, who are shown fighting and trying to instill a chaotic tone, but Sweet time after time remains zen and radiates peace, marking the newfound strength and harmony found within herself.
The accompanying tracks to “Drink the Lake” are “Power”, “Dumb Driver” and “Sword.” in every song a strong sense of support is given to Sweet’s overall statement that her music is coming from a place of healing and rebirth. Especially in “Power” where the mainline sung is “I want to feel the power of knowing, I wanna feel the power of holding no one ever again.” These heart-piercing lyrics magnify that Sweet’s journey towards healing is one that has to be taken alone.
As Ian Sweet offers a glimpse into her heart and soul, the collective body will come together on March 5th, when her album Show Me How You Disappear drops via Polyvinyl Records.