IAN SWEET, the recording project of Jilian Medford, has shared a new cover of Broken Social Scene’s classic indie tune “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl.” Stream the song below.
Medford’s version of the track begins by tapping into the undefined nostalgia of the 2002 original, complete with atmospheric synths and vocal effects. As the song continues, massive guitar chords open the instrumental up and Medford’s emotive vocals jump to the forefront of the mix.
“Broken Social Scene’s music has always felt like the equivalent of a hug, and I think at some point everyone has to have *that* moment with ‘Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl,’” she said of the track. “It so poignantly nails the difficulty of trying to exist within the moment of being a teenager while you’re simultaneously looking towards the inevitable transitions looming on the horizon. You want to cry… and you should cry.”
“Simply put: It. Fucking. Crushes,” she added. ” And even though covering someone else’s work is weird and strange and almost always feels like perhaps it shouldn’t be done, I’m willing to say effusively that I never want to escape this song. With this small act, perhaps now I can’t! The original is essential, other covers have taken it to amazing places as well, and now I’ve recorded my version hoping a few more people will get to shout the lyrics at the top of their lungs and FEEL FUCKING INCREDIBLE doing so.”
IAN SWEET’s latest album was 2023’s SUCKER. Read her track-by-track breakdown of the project here. She’s also in the midst of her 2024 tour, which sees her linking up with Caroline Rose and Nation of Language. See her full list of upcoming concerts below, and get tickets here.
Notably, Yeule also recently covered “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” for the I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack.
IAN SWEET 2024 Tour Dates:
05/3 — Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress %
05/4 — Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern %
05/10 — Los Angeles, CA @ Brain Dead Studios
05/11 — San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel %
05/16 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom %
05/18 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox %
05/30 — Boston, MA @ Royale Boston #
06/01 — Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground #
06/10 — Richmond, VT @ Broadberry Theatre #
06/12 — Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West #
06/16 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
06/18 — Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant Street #
06/19 — Buffalo, NY @ Electric City #
06/21 — Portland, ME @ Portland House of Music #
06/22 — Catskill, NY @ Glen Falls House #
06/13 — Berlin, DE @ Prachtwerk
06/14 — Brussels, BE @ Le Botanique
06/15 — Paris, FR @ Supersonic
06/16 — Rotterdam, NL @ Left of the Dial
06/22 — London, UK @ The Lexington
% = w/ Caroline Rose
# = w/ Nation of Language