Sucker is the fourth studio album by American indie rock musician Ian Sweet, released on November 3, 2023, through Polyvinyl Record Co. It was produced by Sweet, Alex Craig, and Isaac Eiger. It received positive reviews from critics.
| Sucker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 3, 2023 | |||
| Studio | Outliner Inn, New York, US | |||
| Genre | Bedroom pop, indie folk | |||
| Length | 41:47 | |||
| Label | Polyvinyl | |||
| Producer |
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| Ian Sweet chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sucker | ||||
Background and recording
editSweet recorded the album at the Outlier Inn, an artists' residency in the Catskill Mountains of New York with co-producers Alex Craig and Isaac Eiger. The three had full access to the studio, which allowed them "space for experimentation and spontaneity".[3]
On August 11, 2023, Sweet announced the release of his fourth studio album, along with the first single "You Spit".[4] The single was produced by Alex Craig and Strange Ranger vocalist Isaac Eiger, while the music video was directed by Brittany Reeber, and featured Sarah Sherman and Martin Herlihy.[5]
The second single "Emergency Contact" was released on September 14, 2023, with a music video directed by Brittany Reeber, and features Please Don't Destroy member Martin Herlihy.[6]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Paste | 7.9/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10[3] |
| Under the Radar |    [9] |
Sucker received a score 79 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[7] Marissa Lorusso of Pitchfork wrote that Medford "dials down the pressure, turning her attention to more mundane crises" and "retaining her commitment to emotional transparency, she leans into high-adrenaline hooks and poignant self-reflection with confidence and grit".[3] Ethan Beck of Paste felt that the album "succeeds with temperamental synths, guitars that add a dreamy gloss and percussion that splits the difference between bedroom-pop programming and indie folk mutedness".[8] Reviewing the album for Under the Radar, Michael James Hall called it "an adventurous pop album" as well as "a post-COVID, post-breakup record blooming with hope and self-realization".[9] Glide Magazine' Shawn Donohue described it as "the most pop-centric album of Ian Sweet's career" that was not unexpected as "with each passing record Medford has shifted towards more mainstream sounds. Fully embracing the break-up/hook-up dance-ready pattern (with slight distortion around the edges) Medford's efforts are ready to be sung out over large speaker stacks instead of smaller indie rock clubs".[10]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Jilian Medford and Alex Craig.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bloody Knees" | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Smoking Again" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Emergency Contact" | 5:02 |
| 4. | "Sucker" | 4:28 |
| 5. | "Comeback" | 3:47 |
| 6. | "Your Spit" | 3:25 |
| 7. | "Clean" | 3:54 |
| 8. | "Fight" | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Slowdance" | 3:37 |
| 10. | "Hard" | 5:06 |
| Total length: | 41:47 | |
Personnel
edit- Jilian Medford – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, production
- Alex Craig – guitar, synthesizer, production
- Isaac Eiger – guitar, synthesizer, production (tracks 4, 10); piano (10)
References
edit- ^ "You Spit – Single – Album by Ian Sweet". Apple Music. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "Emergency Contact – Single – Album by Ian Sweet". Apple Music. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c Lorusso, Marissa (November 8, 2023). "Ian Sweet: Sucker Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Abby (August 11, 2023). "IAN SWEET Announces New Album SUCKER, Shares "Your Spit"". Yahoo!. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Rettig, James (August 10, 2023). "Ian Sweet Announce New Album". Stereogum. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Brodsky, Rachel (September 14, 2023). "Ian Sweet Share New Song Emergency Contact". Stereogum. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sucker by Ian Sweet Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Beck, Ethan (November 3, 2023). "Ian Sweet's Sucker Hurts in All of the Best Ways". Paste. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Hall, Michael James (November 6, 2023). "Ian Sweet: Sucker (Polyvinyl) – review". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Donohue, Shawn (November 2, 2023). "Ian Sweet Melts Indie Rock Into Pop On Vibrant Sucker (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved November 8, 2023.