Can we declare an indie-pop state of emergency? Yes? Good. Sound the alarms then. Step down, all you beard-oil man bands of yore. We are now entering
Marika Hackman country. Her new record Any Human Friend sees her not so much as ‘return’ but glide in on a parade float having triumphed in the Great Indie Wars. Okay, we’re making ourselves giddy here. But the point stands: Marika Hackman is sharper and somehow more unapologetically herself than ever.
On ‘
Any Human Friend’ she burrows deeper under her own skin, stepping over the outer boundary of what was previously a comfort zone. ‘
all night’ reclaims sex between women from the fetishistic male gaze, harmonic and sweet but truthful about - and taking rightful ownership of - queer female intimacy. Later, the outstandingly titled ‘
hand solo’ is just as blunt, its bristling guitars and Marika’s glam vocal turning a surprising song about solo sex into an all-out banger. This is an all-in type of deal, so in some places, Marika addresses particularly painful topics. ‘
send my love’ stems from internalised shame, while the tremendous ‘
i’m not where you are’ describes dismantling an emotional connection after the breakdown of a relationship.
Frankly, ‘Any Human Friend’ is all bangers, all the time. The Blondie-esque ‘
the one’ is by Marika’s own account likely the most ‘pop’ song she’s ever written, but there is not a single low point on the album. Really, we’re not exaggerating here. Marika Hackman for President of Everything.
