I’d been anticipating Marika Hackman’s new album since the release of her single ‘Boyfriend’ back in March. It’s been a slow few months of teasing new tracks and releasing singles in the run up to the release. She’s teamed up with The Big Moon to serve as her backing band for this album, giving it a sharper modern indie edge to it. You can hear that it’s The Big Moon playing on the album as well, it gives it a live room sound and adds a certain fragility to the songs.

Opening with the single ‘Boyfriend’, the bar is set incredibly high for the rest of the album. I do always have a concern about putting your strongest single to start off the album. It serves as a good attention grabber, however it can also take away a sense of build and progression through an album. The single itself is fantastic though, the music is gritty and delicate and the song has a fragile tension to it. These elements come together under Marika’s voice which is beautiful and soft, she has a really nice timbre to her voice which sounds smooth and understated.

I’m Not Your Man is a very natural sounding album. There’s no feeling or sense of forcefulness behind the songs, they all flow in a relaxed way. It has many Britpop tinges to it particularly in the guitar sound. It’s that distinctive jagged way of playing that gives the album a personality and works as a perfect balance to how Marika puts her songs together. These elements give it another layer and contrast to the songs. There are songs without this that sound far more stripped back and allows the album to breathe, making it all the more powerful when things get turned up again. ‘I’d Rather Be With Them’ is a really beautiful, gentle song that shows Marika’s songwriting at its core. Her voice really is beautiful, she has one of those vocals that you find yourself getting lost in, there’s plenty of these moments throughout the album.

I’m Not Your Man does suffer slightly from its arrangement. As an end product the way it’s ordered does make the songs feel interchangeable. It feels like it could be in any order and would still have the same impact. That’s not to criticise the songs themselves, it’s the way it’s put together yet it doesn’t feel like one song leads into the next and the album doesn’t seem to reach a conclusion. Which really is a shame because on their own the songs are fantastic and Marika is an incredibly strong and witty songwriter, the album is just put together in a way that doesn’t feel like it progresses.

‘Good Intentions’ is one I wish the album opened with. It starts off with a strong jolt of fuzzy feedback and harks back to albums like In Utero. It’s a song with loads of small details which bring a great contrast to the bones of the song. Her songs are arranged like modern folk songs but they all come with a great scuzzy dressing to them which make them incredibly exciting and also makes me hope I’ll get to see them played out live. These Nirvana influences are very clear at the start of the album. Songs like ‘Gina’s World’ again sounds very much like it would be in place somewhere on In Utero.

Overall I’m Not Your Man is a very strong album by a very strong songwriter. There’s lots of different influences of 90s indie bands on here however they don’t drown out Marika’s songs. There’s loads of subtle nods to other bands however the album does very much have its own identity. The album does also do a great thing of getting better with each listen. Every time you come back to it you’ll notice details in there and little bits that may have been overlooked before. The only thing letting it down is the track order that seems slightly confusing to me, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that these are all fantastic songs from a very promising songwriter.
Chris Middleton

Website: marikahackman.com
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