Album Review: I'm Not Your Man, Marika Hackman

Marika Hackman cut a willowy figure on her 2015 debut album, a spooky folk fandango pitching its tepee somewhere between Laura Marling and The Staves. But it’s out with the gossamer and in with raucous student disco guitar on I’m Not Your Man, a plugged-in caper that sees the ex-model stake her claim as a millennial PJ Harvey.

She swaggers out of the blocks on ‘Boyfriend’, a winking rocker with gender-bending undertones, a cathartic ‘90s riff and vocals between a coo and leer. Here and elsewhere, Hackman’s drop-dead deadpan brings to mind her old catwalk pal Cara Delevingne (with whom she briefly fronted a band). Far from a careerist affectation, however, the jaded rock persona is a perfect fit, with Hackman embracing stomping shoe-gaze on ‘So Long’ and and the icky, sticky grunge on ‘Violet’. Impressive.

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