Album of the Week: Marika Hackman

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Album of the Week: Marika Hackman

Plus Stream New Albums from Bon Iver, Electric Youth, Ra Ra Riot, WHY?, and More

Aug 09, 2019 By Christopher Roberts WHY?

British singer/songwriter Marika Hackman released a new album, Any Human Friend, today via Sub Pop and it’s our Album of the Week. Find more info on the album below. Below that are streams of other notable albums released today: Bon Iver, Electric Youth, Ra Ra Riot, WHY?, The Regrettes, and G&D.

Marika Hackman: Any Human Friend (Sub Pop)

Any Human Friend is Hackman’s third album and the follow-up to her 2017-released breakthrough release, sophomore album I’m Not Your Man. Hackman co-produced the album with David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma).

Today we posted our rave review of the album by Marty Hill and you can read that here.

In his review, Hill writes: “Hackman says that ‘the one’ was written amidst a breakup-induced identity crisis, but you get the sense that the same could be said about the album as a whole. The record refuses to settle on a perspective or an atmosphere—being led at times by Comedown Machine-ish synths and at others by direct and grunge-y riffs. Lyrically, Hackman’s positioning of herself is ever-changing. Impressively, though, the record’s ever changing perspective and atmosphere never feels jarring.”

In conclusion, Hill writes: “Any Human Friend is Hackman’s most attention-demanding work to date, and positions her as one of the most refreshing voices in British music right now.”

In a previous press release announcing the album, Hackman summed up Any Human Friend this way: “This whole record is me diving into myself and peeling back the skin further and further, exposing myself in quite a big way. It can be quite sexual. It’s blunt, but not offensive. It’s mischievous.”

Hackman added: “I’m a hopeless romantic. I search for love and sexual experience, but also I’m terrified by it.”

Hackman is unabashed about tackling these themes, even if her only family is a little less enthused. “I sent ‘all night’ to my parents and they were quite shocked,” she said in the press release. “Why does it sound shocking coming out of my mouth? Women have sex with each other, and it seems to me we aren’t as freely allowed to discuss that as men are. But at no point am I disrespecting the women I’m having sex with. It can be fucking sexy without banging people over the head with a frying pan. It’s sexy sex.”

Previously she shared the album’s first single “i’m not where you are” (which was one of our Songs of the Week), as well as a video for the song. Then she shared “the one,” which made it to #1 on our Songs of the Week list. Then shared another song from the album, the sexually charged “all night,” which also made our Songs of the Week list at #2.

Read our 2017 interview with Marika Hackman.

Marika Hackman Tour Dates:

Aug.15 - Beacon Breacons, UK - Green Man Festival
Sep. 21 - Bristol, UK - Thekla
Sep. 23 - Glasgow, UK - Oran Mor
Sep. 24 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club
Sep. 25 - Manchester, UK - Band On The Wall
Sep. 26 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
Oct. 11 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl*
Oct. 12 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook*
Oct. 13 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall*
Oct. 14 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle*
Oct. 15 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere*
Oct. 18 - Allston, MA - Great Scott*
Oct. 19 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall*
Oct. 20 - Montréal, QC - Bar Le ‘Ritz’ P.D.B.*
Oct. 21 - Toronto, ON- The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern*
Oct. 23 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
Oct. 24 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig*
Oct. 25 - Chicago, IL- Sleeping Village*
Oct. 26 - Milwaukee, WI - Back Room at Colectivo Coffee*
Oct. 28 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry*
Nov. 01 - Seattle, WA - Neumos*
Nov. 04 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club*
Nov. 06 - West Hollywood, CA - The Roxy Theatre*