Shiverstruck album – IAN SWEET returns with “Shiverstruck” on July 24, led by the sharp new single “Criminal Kissing.” The album leans into bad decisions as a kind of honesty—set against the songwriter’s New York year and Atlanta studio work.
IAN SWEET is back with a new album, Shiverstruck, arriving July 24, and it feels built for the moment right before a choice becomes a story you can’t stop repeating.
The record follows 2023’s SUCKER and comes with a lead single. “Criminal Kissing. ” the kind of title that sounds like a private diary entry and a punchline at the same time.. The song frames romance as momentum you don’t fully control—an infatuated slide toward consequences—rather than a clean. cinematic meet-cute.. For Misryoum Culture News readers. that matters because it signals a shift in how modern indie-pop narratives are being written: less about “learning the lesson. ” more about admitting you’re still tempted.
In a statement. Jilian Medford described “Criminal Kissing” as a love letter to “making bad decisions.” The lyric logic is blunt and human: hooking up with an ex even when you know you’ll be emotionally unraveling afterward.. It’s chaos presented with affection, the kind of decision-making that doesn’t ask permission from your better instincts.. Medford’s phrasing—“lean into the chaos spiral”—doesn’t romanticize harm; it treats emotional honesty as the real plot twist.. The result is an emotional realism that listeners often recognize faster than they can explain.
New York City also sits in the background of Shiverstruck’s creative timeline.. Medford worked on the album during her second year living there, and that detail matters beyond branding.. New York tends to compress ambition, loneliness, nightlife, and reinvention into the same weeks.. In a scene that moves quickly. lyrics that feel “grounded” become a kind of counterbalance—proof that speed doesn’t have to mean shallowness.
The studio chapter adds another layer.. Medford worked with producer Ben H.. Allen at Maze Studios in Atlanta. a collaboration that pulls from a broader indie lineage while keeping the songwriting at the center.. Allen’s history across projects known for distinct atmospheres suggests Shiverstruck may not just be a collection of songs—it may be tuned for a specific emotional weather system.. Medford’s own reflection reinforces that: she called the process the hardest and most ruminative she’s done. insisting the writing was the “heart of everything” and had to feel like the truest reflection of who she is and where she’s at.
There’s a cultural reason this approach feels timely.. Over the last few years. indie music has increasingly treated vulnerability like craft rather than confession—structured. edited. and shaped until it lands with impact.. Shiverstruck’s theme—desire that refuses to behave—fits that broader shift.. It’s not the old moral arc of pop (temptation, punishment, redemption).. It’s closer to the lived arc many listeners know: you repeat yourself, you spiral, and you keep moving anyway.
Even the tracklist reads like a sequence of emotional scenes, not just song titles.. “9872.” lands early with a sense of coded distance, while “Silver Screen” suggests performance—what people show versus what they mean.. Tracks like “Deadweight. ” “Hired Gun. ” and “Speed Demon” hint at urgency and consequence. and then the title cut. “Shiverstruck. ” arrives as the moment the album names its own mood.. The closing run—“La La Love. ” “Wild Heart. ” and “Speed Demon”—feels like the aftermath: affection trying to outrun the facts.
The single’s message also invites a social read.. “Criminal Kissing” frames bad decisions as something you choose because it’s immediate, not because it’s wise.. That’s a recognizable dynamic in today’s cultural landscape. where intimacy is often mediated by speed. attention cycles. and the frictionless nature of modern connection.. The song doesn’t preach; it observes the moment when you decide to follow the impulse anyway—and then deal with the fallout afterward.
Shiverstruck’s release date—July 24—also sets up a practical question for Misryoum readers: where does this album land in your summer listening?. If SUCKER carried a particular momentum. this follow-up appears designed for repeat plays—the kind of record you revisit when you’re in a reflective mood. or when you want your romance narratives to sound less “perfect” and more true.
Shiverstruck tracklist:
1. 9872
2. Criminal Kissing
3. Silver Screen
4. Jilian
5. Deadweight
6. Shiverstruck
7. Hired Gun
8. La La Love
9. Wild Heart
10. Speed Demon
21 New Songs Out Today: Tricky, horsegiirL & More
The Devil Wears Prada 2 Premiere: Red Carpet Styles
Boards of Canada announce ‘Inferno’—a 2026 return built on time, tape, and myth