Description
Coloured Vinyl with Bonus 2 track coloured 7.
Its amazing how the floodgates open when you shut out all the internal and external noise, stop pandering to stereotype, cease listening to your anxieties, and disregard the compartment society has built for you. Im Not Your Man, the Charlie Andrew (Alt-J, Rae Morris)-produced second album from Marika Hackman, begins with an impromptu hearty laugh. Its not the sound of silliness; its the sound of liberation, spontaneity, and joy. 24-year-old Hackman is feeling more herself than ever. Life isnt necessarily funnier or happier, but when theres cause for a joke or a big ballsy statement, shes not holding back any more.
The album took almost 18 months to complete, during which time Hackman switched to a new manager and a new label, transitions that yielded new avenues for exploration, a lot of time, and a lot of distance mainly, she insists, from self-imposed boundaries. I used to be very self-conscious, explains Hackman. If something sounded a bit too pop or like Id heard it before Id mold it into something different. This time around I thought, fuck it, Ill just let it flow.’ The results of this semi-anarchic approach are evident in the grungier, catchier sonics of Im Not Your Man, and the lyrics, which reveal an unhinged and shamelessly free Hackman. Theres an open-ended nature to the lyrics, which delve into femininity, sex and sexual identity, millennial ennui, the pressures of living in a social media bubble, and the perils of being young in a fast-paced industry.
The records all about female relationships, romance and breakdowns, but theres also a dim worldview going on. Im Not Your Man can either mean Im not your man, Im your woman, or it can mean Im not a part of this.’ Hackman cranked up the knobs in the studio, turning away from the quieter sounds of her past to realize her teenage fantasy of fronting a raucous band. I wanted to let rip and lose control. When I was younger I wasnt looking at Joni Mitchell. I was looking at Nirvana thinking, I wanna be like that!’ To channel this feral female energy, Hackman recruited London quartet The Big Moon as her backing band. The results are a dynamic, multi-genre album tied together by razor-sharp wit.
The sounds span from Cate Le Bon weirdness to Warpaint dirge jams to straight-up Britpop choruses. People were saying it was a mash-up between Radiohead, Blondie and The Cure, adds Hackman, self-mockingly. I cant wait to see the reaction, she says. Thats the thrill of reinventing yourself. I might piss off a lot of die-hard folky fans but this is still my brain, its still my world, and Im gonna create it how I want.
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