SXSW Wednesday Record Reviews

Ian Sweet

Shapeshifter (Hardly Art)

SXSW Wednesday Record Reviews

Boston-turned-New York trio Ian Sweet's first LP with Hardly Art yields a discordant, raw intensity, 10 tracks of twee baring sharp teeth. Shapeshifter's dissonant, surprising sound is whittled from a foundation of off-kilter lo-fi, carved by Jilian Medford's sharp, detail-oriented anxieties and obsessions, her squeaky voice often verging on breaking and not far off Joanna Newsom's peculiar timbre. "All Skaters Go to Heaven" features an uneasy guitar line like running up and down creaking stairs, while "2soft2chew" employs a dreamy Brooklyn jangle. The title track proves appropriately named, an amorphous expansion-contraction of Medford's unintelligible sighing and distorted, spacey guitar. (Wed. 15, Cheer Up Charlies, 10pm; Thu. 16, Tap Room at the Market, 1am; Fri. 17, Sidewinder Outside, 8:35pm)

***.5

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE
Spoon's <i>Hot Thoughts</i> Remodels the Locals' Art-Funk
Spoon's Hot Thoughts Remodels the Locals' Art-Funk
Britt Daniel and Jim Eno talk about the rise of R&B in the band's sound

Tim Stegall, June 2, 2017

Playback – SXSW Recap: Love, Hate, Garth & Trump
Playback – SXSW Recap: Love, Hate, Garth & Trump
Final love / hate SXSW listicles

Kevin Curtin, March 24, 2017

More Music Reviews
Review: Holy Wave, <i>Five of Cups</i>
Review: Holy Wave, Five of Cups
Five of Cups (Record Review)

Raoul Hernandez, Sept. 1, 2023

Review: The Bright Light Social Hour, <i>Emergency Leisure</i>
Review: The Bright Light Social Hour, Emergency Leisure
Emergency Leisure (Record Review)

Raoul Hernandez, Aug. 4, 2023

More by Libby Webster
ACL Live Review: Nilüfer Yanya
Nilüfer Yanya
English singer-guitarist animates acclaimed Miss Universe

Oct. 7, 2019

ACL Live Review: Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish
Superstar teen proves she should’ve been a headliner

Oct. 6, 2019

KEYWORDS FOR THIS STORY

Ian Sweet, SXSW Music 2017

MORE IN THE ARCHIVES
One click gets you all the newsletters listed below

Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events

Keep up with happenings around town

Kevin Curtin's bimonthly cannabis musings

Austin's queerest news and events

Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news

Information is power. Support the free press, so we can support Austin.   Support the Chronicle