Marika Hackman has unveiled i’m not where you are, the first single since her 2017 sophomore album I’m Not Your Man. It’s distinctly sharper than her previous work, honed by angular synths and an attitude which practically crawled its way out of my headphones.
Hackman hails from England, and has been kicking it as a muso since 2012. Her compositions are always provocative and drenched in a haze of cool, her lyrics an open book to lose yourself in. Needless to say, this new direction is exciting as hell.
Marika Hackman has dropped i’m not where you are, a cool-as-hell lament on the impossibility of compatibility.
“[It’s] about breaking up with people, or self-sabotaging relationships”, Hackman said in a press release, “that feeling of not trusting one’s emotions because you can’t seem to get to the same place as the other person.”
“On the surface it seems like an arrogant ‘everybody falls in love with me’ kind of song but its actually incredibly lonely, introspective and self deprecating.”
It certainly seems like Hackman has spent the time between albums within the walls of her own mind. But hey, a self-centred sense of romantic dread never sounded so good. If only we could all place our deepest anxieties to such a tantalising backing track.
Darkly introspective, philosophical lyrics such as “lately I’ve been trying to find the point of human contact” swim below a shimmering instrumental like a shark below still water. The duality between what’s being said and what’s being heard is fierce, and reveals something new on every new listen.
i’m not where you are was co-produced by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) and Hackman herself, and apparently represents a more cohesive body of work from the artist. Whatever’s coming soon, we’ll be listening.
i’m not where you are is out now.
