In the Studio with IAN SWEETThe Artist:  IAN SWEET - Jilian MedfordProducer & Mixed by: Ben AllenEngineered by: Ben AllenAdditional Engineering by: Tomás Uribe and Kegan KroghMastered by: Joe LaPortaRecorded at: Maze Studios and Rock Lobster RecordingThe Origin: For nearly a decade, Jilian Medford’s silvery vocal presence has been the heart of IAN SWEET—soothing and strong, it continually draws listeners into her ever-shifting soundscapes. This signature strength has guided listeners through the collaborative, angular rush of her debut Shapeshifter and the denser haze of Crush Crusher, as well as the introspective Show Me How You Disappear and the electro-pop-tinged SUCKER.Strewn within these atmospherics and propulsive rhythms are Medford’s lyrics, documenting frictions found in everyday life, processing the world through a melancholic-meets-luminous, kaleidoscopic lens, and notating everything from the painful to the divine. For Medford’s newest release Shiverstruck, vocals and lyrics remain her definitive creative prism, yet she deepens her approach by leaning into a hyper-focused writing process.By lasering into these smallest lyrical and instrumental details before jumping into the studio, she allowed a brand-new sense of creative spontaneity to emerge. Below, Medford shines a light onto this process, detailing how reexamining her songwriting workflow allowed her to find an assured version of IAN SWEET.The Production: While chaotic spontaneity defined much of IAN SWEET’s prior recording history, for this collection of songs, Medford deliberately chose to let patience prevail. Before tracking began, she meticulously refined her demos, dialing in the exact shapes and structural foundations for each song. This newfound discipline became the ultimate core of the album's creation. Paradoxically, instead of feeling confined by this structure, having the underpinnings of each song completed gave Medford a pseudo-safety net—leaving her free to sonically explore while tracking. This elevated form of pre-production in turn allowed for deeper in-the-room exploration, securing her creativity before a single microphone was turned on.

“I just wanted to be confident with every song before stepping into the studio,” Medford explains. “I wanted to use the studio time for elevating it... It was like a little bit more mature way to approach creating, which is different for me. But it felt good to have everything in a very solidified place.”

This methodical approach to the first phase of recording—ticking the boxes for drums, bass, guitar, and piano—might seem counterintuitive, but it ultimately created the free time to dabble and dive into the unknown depths of sonic exploration. Medford credits producer Ben Allen's seasoned workflow for maintaining a sense of calm that allowed for the magic to happen. "He has a method to the madness and makes it so that we’re never over our heads,” she notes. “We’d get the basics tracked, leaving time to try whatever the hell we want, make crazy mistakes and run with those... It was just great to have the foundations and then be able to explore a bit more, giving a little glitter on top.”

This structural sense of security extended beyond instrumentation; it gave Medford the psychological permission to fully release her vocal register, navigating the quiet moments before blowing out the loud. “My favorite thing about singing is the release that you get,” Medford shares, highlighting her tracks' extreme emotional range. “You can have these really introspective, soft, personal moments… and then you can just explode at any moment.”For Medford, this vocal dynamic mirrors the complexity of the human experience. “We can be soft, vulnerable, shy, and insecure, and then we can be the most confident, loud, take-up-space person as well. Through the vocal production and the vocal takes, and where they sit in the mix, that complexity really gets a chance to shine.”

This emotional freedom was augmented by the copacetic, creative vibe of Maze Studios in Atlanta. The space, owned by Allen, offered Medford an alternative to the sterile confines of traditional recording spaces, mirroring her headspace. “What I loved about Maze is that they weren’t trying to be anything but themselves,” Medford reflects. “It’s a feeling like you're in your living room. The gear has been collected over the years, and it is part of it. Everything has a very personal story to it, a history. It felt like a similar place to where I'm at in my life… I'm just trying to work hard, get my hands dirty, and find my truest self.”

Liberated from outside expectations, this absolute creative environment allowed her to let the messy, physical world bleed straight onto the microphone. Because the foundations of the songs were already set, these environmental disruptions never derailed the tracks; instead, they became part of the record's accidental magic.“I think just the space in general that we were recording in felt very down and dirty and industrial and really raw,” Medford continues. “We would sometimes have to stop vocal takes because a storm outside was shaking the garage door in the room… But at times those earthly sounds made their way through anyway. That was the point though—even more than hearing my voice, you’re hearing the world around me.”

This deep alignment of values fostered an environment of total ease among her tight, three-person tracking team consisting of herself, producer Ben Allen, and engineer Ben Etter—a unified front that provided something invaluable: the freedom to claim absolute ownership over her performances without fear of judgment. Medford felt safe to try anything, including playing piano, a testament to the unspoken connection within the sessions.

“It was just the three of us really making this record together,” Medford notes. “I think them drawing something out of me—I wasn't afraid to say, 'Can I hop in there and play?'… I'm not an amazing piano player, but I wanted to play piano on this record. I wanted to be the one sitting at the piano playing it. It was important for me to do it, even though that's not my main instrument.”

Their answer was always an encouraging yes. “There was no question from the Bens. It was like, 'Yeah, go down there and play.' And even if I messed up the notes, nobody said anything,” she shares. “Just feeling that room felt like being equal in the process…it's my music, so I want to be the one there doing it. I don't want anybody else playing everything, because I'm going to look back and feel as though I wasn't a part of it. It was very important for me to feel very, very part of it.”

In the end, Shiverstruck stands as the sonic realization of an artist finally aligning with herself. By stepping out of the crowded, chaotic expectations of her early career, Medford used the studio to chisel away the noise, leaving a lean soundscape where her voice, lyrics, and instrumentation are entirely her own. In doing so, she conquered her chaotic instincts and reclaimed total creative confidence, turning daily tracking sessions into a space to embrace and push boundaries.

Photo Credit: Wrenne Evans

The post In the Studio with IAN SWEET first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.