Ian Sweet – Silver Screen
IAN SWEET—the project of Los Angeles-based musician Jilian Medford—releases “Silver Screen,” the third single from new album, Shiverstruck, out July 24th via Polyvinyl.
“Silver Screen” is more mellow than previous singles “Criminal Kissing” and “Jilian,” but is no less compelling. Medford’s voice is urgent over woozy synth and swelling instrumentation that feels as weighty as the ambition she sings about: “Waited an eternity // For just a moment // On the silver shiny screen // You can’t blame me // For wanting everything.”
Medford elaborates: “’Silver Screen’ is about restless ambition and striving for things that always seem just out of reach. I’ve spent a lot of time imagining some future version of myself where everything finally clicks and falls into place. I’m always looking ahead but somehow miss what’s right in front of me.”
Across her career, Medford has cultivated a body of work defined by emotional precision and dynamic force—guitars that lurch from whisper to rupture, melodies that carry both ache and defiance. Her songs interrogate identity not as a fixed condition, but as something negotiated daily. Shiverstruck was written during her second year living in New York City, a period that shaped her in ways both profound and messy. In 2023, to make ends meet amidst the increasingly unsustainable economies of touring and streaming as an independent musician, Medford put her strengths as a songwriter to the test, taking an unexpected job working with children. “Watching children respond to music for the first time; their faces lighting up completely unselfconscious, it rewires your brain as a songwriter and steers you more towards honesty. Everything felt immediate and real.” The writing process became an act of surrender and an intentional relinquishing of control. Rather than meticulously sculpting every emotion, she allowed the songs to assume their own architecture. In doing so, she discovered a new softness—a compassion for herself that doesn’t require total collapse to feel human.
Medford started IAN SWEET began 10 years ago as a solo project, and since then it’s evolved something more atmospheric and less containable.There are stretches where the line between Jilian and IAN SWEET disappears entirely – this time around a very real life trifecta of battling industry pressures, the ending of a 3-year relationship, and a return to living in her native city of Los Angeles. Where earlier works collapsed the distance between Jilian and IAN SWEET, this record gently reestablishes it. Medford elaborates: “Music has pushed me to be more empathetic, to pay attention to emotions and experiences that aren’t always comfortable, and channel that into something that feels authentic.”
Next month, IAN SWEET will give the east coast an early taste of Shiverstruck on tour with American Football. Following, she’ll embark on a lengthy headlining tour across North America.
IAN SWEET Tour Dates:
Wed. July 8 – Boston, MA @ Royale +
Thu. July 9 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount +
Fri. July 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall +
Sat. July 11 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club + [SOLD OUT]
Sun. July 12 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club +
Tue. July 14 – Richmond, VA @ The National +
Wed. July 15 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel + [SOLD OUT]
Thu. July 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse +
Fri. July 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bob Baker Theater [Album Release Show]
Thu. Oct. 15 – Portsmouth, NH @ The Press Room ^
Fri. Oct. 16 – Battleboro, VT @ The Stone Church ^
Sat. Oct. 17 – Montreal, QC @ La Sotterenea ^
Sun. Oct. 18 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G ^
Tue. Oct. 20 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Scheme ^
Wed. Oct. 21 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas ^
Thu. Oct. 22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Falcon Bowl ^
Fri. Oct. 23 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry ^
Sat. Oct. 24 – Eau Claire, WI @ The Plus ^
Mon. Oct. 26 – Nashville, TN @ Drkmttr ^
Wed. Oct. 28 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook ^
Tue. Nov. 3 – Seattle, WA @ Baba Yaga
Wed. Nov. 4 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
Fri. Nov. 6 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
+ w/ American Football
^ w/ Meg Elsier
#ian_sweeeeet