There’s a whole lotta great music being spawned by alums of the Berklee College of Music (great new-ish artists Tei Shi and Laney Jones among them).  Add to that list the band IAN SWEET, which features Berklee-alum Jillian Medford.  IAN SWEET is soon to release (on Sept. 9th) their debut album Shapeshifter on Sub Pop-affiliated label Hardly Art, and you can pre-order it HERE.

The new album sprang from a dark six-month period for Medford, the lowlights of which were panic attacks and depression. To get a feel for the allure of the band, check out their song and video entitled #23 below. The song references the comparative-comfort provided by everyday-TV (“Lately I’ve been feelin’ kinda lonely/Turn on that History Channel/VHS about the mummies/It keeps me company) and her social anxieties (“‘I Believe I Can Fly’/ That was my song at karaoke last night/ I feel like Jordan in my Jordans/ Except I stand in place and ignore him/ I’ll stand right here for another year.'”).  We love Medford’s crackling vocals, the jangle-fuzz math guitar and varied tempos on #23. Hole meets Pinback with a twist? Regardless, this is sweet new music, as is the album’s captivating Coney Island ride-choreography.  We can’t wait for the album!