Marika Hackman has delivered a gorgeous live performance of the Elliott Smith classic “Between the Bars”. Her interpretation of the song is from Covers, a darkly beautiful, self-produced album out now via Sub Pop in the Americas and Transgressive for the rest of the world. The “Between the Bars” live performance, which was filmed in an abandoned swimming pool, was directed and shot by Natàlia Pagès Geli and Tom Palliser, produced by Grace Manning, and mixed by Matthew Daly for Stolen Sessions.
Discussing the cover, Hackman offers: “Out of everything on this record, I kept “Between the Bars” closest to the original. On the Any Human Friend tours in 2019, I started playing it in the set - I hope you like this version from the livestream. I just wanted to do a really good performance of it, more like an homage than a cover.”
During the extended stay-at-home orders of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of a blank page. She recorded and produced Covers between her home and her parents’ house, then got David Wrench to mix it. In contrast to her last two albums (2019’s Any Human Friend & 2017’s I’m Not Your Man), this collection of songs is more akin in tone and feel to her debut We Slept At Last, with a darker and more introspective sound. On Covers, we hear Marika’s emotive voice set against sparse arrangements of guitars and strings with the occasional synth or scattered drum groove.
Breathing new life into the songs she’s chosen, Marika reimagines work by some of the world’s most beloved artists, such as Radiohead, Air, Sharon Van Etten and more. It’s a suitably varied collection, but Marika’s intimate delivery and soft, nuanced and atmospheric touch to production, thread them all together effortlessly.
Marika explains how she came to choose the material: “When it comes to covers, I like to pick songs which I have been listening to obsessively for a while. It gives me a natural understanding of the music, and lets me be more innovative with how I transform it.”
Adventurous and versatile, Covers continues Marika’s lineage in turning each body of work into a new take and perspective on her creative vision. She twists and turns, always surprises, and is never afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. It remains anyone’s guess to imagine where she will head next.
What people are saying about Marika Hackman’s Covers: “Covers… It’s a nuanced handling of some of her recent recent song obsessions, which need no theme and are bound together by her voice - irresistibly silken and alluringly forlorn -and and overall, introspective hush (8/10).”- Uncut
“Marika’s ability to truly make each song her own is her biggest strength, giving her selection here a reassuringly even sonic energy.” ★★★★ -DIY
“Covers is a magnificent experiment, filled with a mellifluous melancholy, bittersweet on the ears. (8/10).” - Gigwise
“A brilliantly self-produced album conceived and recorded behind doors: a close-quartered and at times uneasy listen, that both speaks to and provides an odd comfort for the current times.” - NME
“The ten track album is a very intimate joy; it’s the sound of an artist retracing their own steps back to the beginning to relocate the catalyst that began the whole endeavour in the first place.” - The Forty Five “Her ‘All Night’ is distorted, expansive and no less sensual than the original, its lyrics – “Kiss up and rub up and feel up on you” – very much in Hackman’s wheelhouse” - The Independent
“…A back-to-basics approach, keeping arrangements simple and focusing on her unique reworkings of the essential melodies and moods at the heart of these tracks.” - The AV Club
“What I think is really special about it, is that she curates, chooses these covers in a way that is almost like a form of writing…” - NPR Music
“Hackman gives us a glimpse into her quarantine playlist. And even more impressive, she tangibly shows us why these songs are so special, breaking them down to their core, and letting them speak for themselves.” - Under the Radar
Covers is out now in North and South America through Sub Pop.
Today, Marika Hackmanreleases Covers, a darkly beautiful, self-produced new album which showcases a more vulnerable side.
Marika will be performing with her full band tonight in an abandoned swimming pool. Tickets for the show available here - the show starts at 8.30pm GMT with a second stream at 9pm EST/6pm PT.
During the extended stay-at-home orders of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of the blank page. She recorded and produced Covers between home and her parents’ house, then got David Wrench to mix it. In contrast to her last two albums (including 2019’s Any Human Friend& 2017’s I’m Not Your Man), this collection of songs is more akin in tone and feel to her debut We Slept At Last, with a darker and more introspective sound. On Covers, we hear Marika’s emotive voice set against sparse arrangements of guitars and strings with the occasional synth or scattered drum groove.
Breathing new life into the songs she’s chosen, Marika reimagines work by some of the world’s most beloved artists, such as Radiohead, Grimes, Beyonce and Elliott Smith. It’s a suitably varied collection, but Marika’s intimate delivery and soft, nuanced and atmospheric touch to production, thread them all together effortlessly.
Marika explains how she came to choose the material: “When it comes to covers, I like to pick songs which I have been listening to obsessively for a while. It gives me a natural understanding of the music, and lets me be more innovative with how I transform it.”
For Covers, Marika turned to her musical heroes to get her through the year’s weirdness. The album is a new way of hearing some familiar things, and some less known, through the lens of this formidable artist.
“Realiti” is a stripped back piano and guitar based version of the Grimes classic from her most celebrated album Art Angels. Marika’s take is a total reinvention and yet it feels wholly her own. Muna’s ”Pink Light” from their 2019 record SavesThe World is a slice of dark pop, reminiscent of The Cure. In Marika’s hands, it’s a remarkably seamless switch-up to convert these into slower, brooding soft jams.
Marika was obsessed with the Shins growing up and cites their songwriting as a major influence. ”Phantom Limb” the track she chose to cover was always a favorite and, whilst looking up the lyrics she discovered that the song was written about a “hypothetical, fictional account of a young, lesbian couple in high school dealing with the shitty small town they live in.”Finding this out created an even deeper connection with the song and band.
Marika’s version of Air’s ”Playground Love“ is one of the highlights, taken from the soundtrack that Air composed for Sofia Coppola’s coming of age The Virgin Suicides, the result being a moodier, disorientating reworking of a classic modern moment.
Final track ”All Night” sees Marika tackling one of the standouts from Beyonce’s Grammy nominated Lemonade. Again, Marika flips the song on its head. Joined by a choir of stacked vocal harmonies, Marika’s voice transcends to conjure a deep emotional resonance.
Adventurous and versatile, Covers continues Marika’s lineage in turning each body of work into a new take and perspective on her creative vision. She twists and turns, always surprises, and is never afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. It remains anyone’s guess to imagine where she will head next.
Marika Hackman Covers Tracklisting: 1. You Never Wash Up After Yourself (Radiohead) 2. Phantom Limb (The Shins) 3. Playground Love (Air) 4. Realiti (Grimes) 5. Jupiter 4 (Sharon Van Etten) 6. Pink Light (Muna) 7. Between The Bars (Elliott Smith) 8. Temporary Loan (Edith Frost) 9. In Undertow (Alvvays) 10. All Night (Beyonce)
Full details for worldwide album launch live stream announced - Covers will be out November 13th.
Listen to “Between The Bars” and “All Night” here now.
Marika Hackman recently surprised fans with details of a new album, Covers, and shared her interpretation of the beloved Grimes track “Realiti”. Covers is a darkly beautiful, self-produced album which showcases a more vulnerable side, out November 13th via Sub Pop in the Americas and Transgressive for the rest of the world.
Today, Hackman unveils two more tracks from the album. First up is her gorgeous cover of Elliott Smith’s beloved “Between the Bars.” “I’ve been playing ‘Between the Bars’ live for a while now, on the last few tours and in live streams. It’s been nice to play around with the arrangement, and I hope people enjoy what I’ve done with this recorded version,” offered Hackman about the track. In classic Marika style the opposing track couldn’t be more different - “All Night” sees her tackling one of the standouts from Beyonce’s Grammy-nominated Lemonade. Again, Hackman flips the song on its head. Joined by a choir of stacked vocal harmonies, Marika’s voice transcends to conjure a deep emotional resonance.
During the extended stay-at-home orders of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of a blank page. She recorded and produced Covers between home and her parents’ house, then got David Wrench to mix it. In contrast to her last two albums (2019’s Any Human Friend & 2017’s I’m Not Your Man), this collection of songs is more akin in tone and feel to her debut We Slept At Last, with a darker and more introspective sound. On Covers, we hear Marika’s emotive voice set against sparse arrangements of guitars and strings with the occasional synth or scattered drum groove.
Breathing new life into the songs she’s chosen, Marika reimagines work by some of the world’s most beloved artists, such as Radiohead, Air, Sharon Van Etten and more. It’s a suitably varied collection, but Marika’s intimate delivery and soft, nuanced and atmospheric touch to production, thread them all together effortlessly.
Marika explains how she came to choose the material: “When it comes to covers, I like to pick songs which I have been listening to obsessively for a while. It gives me a natural understanding of the music, and lets me be more innovative with how I transform it.”
Adventurous and versatile, Covers continues Marika’s lineage in turning each body of work into a new take and perspective on her creative vision. She twists and turns, always surprises, and is never afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. It remains anyone’s guess to imagine where she will head next.
Marika also has shared further details of her live stream taking place in an abandoned swimming pool that will take place on Covers release day. Tickets for the show will be available when fans pre-order the album. It occurs on November 13th at 8:30 pm GMT and 9 pm EST/6 pm PT.
Covers features interpretations of songs by Air, Alvvays, Beyonce, Edith Frost, Grimes, Elliott Smith, Muna, Radiohead, The Shins, and Sharon Van Etten.
Listen here | Preorder + get discount tix to her livestream release day show here
Marika Hackman returns with Covers, a darkly beautiful, self-produced new album which showcases a more vulnerable side, available on LP/DSPs November 13th, 2020 in the Americas through Sub Pop and the rest of the world from Transgressive Records. Accompanying the news, Marika has shared her version of Grimes’ single “Realiti”plus details of a NoonChorus live stream with her full band that will take place on album release day. Tickets for the show will be available when fans pre-order the album.
During the extended stay-at-home order of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of the blank page. She recorded and produced Covers between home and her parents’ house, then got the legendary David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) to mix it. David also co-produced her excellent 2019 record Any Human Friend. In contrast to her last two albums (including 2017’s I’m Not Your Man), this collection of songs is more akin in tone and feel to her debut We Slept At Last, with a darker and more introspective sound. On Covers, we hear Marika’s emotive voice set against sparse arrangements of guitars and strings with the occasional synth or scattered drum groove.
Breathing new life into the songs she’s chosen, Marika reimagines work by some of the world’s most beloved artists such as Radiohead, Grimes and Elliott Smith. It’s a suitably varied collection, but Marika’s intimate delivery and soft, nuanced and atmospheric touch to production, thread them all together effortlessly.
Marika explains how she came to choose the material: “When it comes to covers, I like to pick songs which I have been listening to obsessively for a while. It gives me a natural understanding of the music, and lets me be more innovative with how I transform it.”
First single “Realiti” is a stripped back piano and guitar based version of the Grimes classic from her most celebrated album Art Angels. Marika’s take is a total reinvention and yet it feels wholly her own. Muna’s “Pink Light” from their 2019 record Saves The World is a slice of dark pop, reminiscent of The Cure. In Marika’s hands, it’s a remarkably seamless switch-up to convert these into slower, brooding soft jams.
Marika’s version of Air’s “Playground Love” is one of the highlights, taken from the soundtrack the group composed for Sofia Coppola’s coming of age TheVirgin Suicides, the result being a moodier, disorientating reworking of a classic modern moment.
Final track “All Night” sees Marika tackling one of the standouts from Beyonce’s Grammy-nominated Lemonade. Again, Marika flips the song on its head. Joined by a choir of stacked vocal harmonies, Marika’s voice transcends to conjure a deep emotional resonance.
Adventurous and versatile, Covers continues Marika’s lineage in turning each body of work into a new take and perspective on her creative vision. She twists and turns, always surprises, and is never afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. It remains anyone’s guess to imagine where she will head next.
Marika Hackman Covers Tracklisting: 1. You Never Wash Up After Yourself (Radiohead) 2. Phantom Limb (The Shins) 3. Playground Love (Air) 4. Realiti (Grimes) 5. Jupiter 4 (Sharon Van Etten) 6. Pink Light (Muna) 7. Between The Bars (Elliott Smith) 8. Temporary Loan (Edith Frost) 9. In Undertow (Alvvays) 10. All Night (Beyonce)
Plus, she’s shared a new acoustic EP. North American tour features support from Hardly Art’s Girl Friday who also serves as her backing band.
[Photo Credit: Joost Vendebrug]
Marika Hackman’s North American tour in support of Any Human Friend, her acclaimed new album, kicks-off tomorrow in Atlanta, GA at the Earl and ends November 6th in West Hollywood, CA at The Roxy. These shows will feature support from Hardly Art band Girl Friday, who will also act as her backing band for the tour.
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* Dec. 08 - Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet Dec. 09 - Brussels, BE - Botanique-Rotonde Dec. 11 - Hamburg, DE - Häkken Dec. 12 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub Dec. 13 - Cologne, DE - Artheater Dec. 14 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere Mar. 05 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town
*w/ Girl Friday
In celebration of the tour, Marika has just released a new acoustic digital EP featuring alternate takes on Any Human Friend singles “hand solo” “i’m not where you are,” “the one,” and “blow.” (listen here).
Any Human Friend features the singles “hand solo”“i’m not where you are,”“the one,” and “blow,” and is out now on Sub Pop in North and South America and the rest of the world via AMF Records. The album was co-produced by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) and Marika herself, and shows off a sharper and more liberated sound than ever before.
“Hackman is more confident than ever” ★★★★★ The Guardian
“A treasure trove of zippy guitar hooks, glimmering synths, and lemony vocals.” (9.3/10) PASTE
“It is amazing…there’s a real candor and frankness to the way she talks about desire and sexuality” - NPR Music
North American headlining tour October 11th-November 6th with support from Hardly Art’s Girl Friday.
Last month,Marika Hackman invited her fans to share stories of any time they have felt shame associated with female self-pleasure. Marika has used their stories to prompt a conversation around the taboo topic, which she has explored further in this thoughtful, and often humorous new video for “hand solo.”
“hand solo” extols the virtues of masturbation and features Marika’s favorite line: “Under patriarchal law, I’m going to die a virgin.” The impossible-to-ignore video for “hand solo” has been directed by Sam Bailey who Marika collaborated with previously on the UK Music Video Awards-winning video for‘My Lover Cindy’. The pair worked closely with Evie Fehilly - a sex educator who runs sex-positive workshops in London at the female-focused sex shop SH!
Marika discussing the video: “I wrote ‘hand solo’ as a bit of light-hearted relief, a wank anthem for women everywhere. I loved the idea of playing on old wives’ tales about the dangers of masturbation and pushing the boundaries about what is socially acceptable. I met Sam and we came up with this playful, tongue-in-cheek idea about hands all over the world masturbating on everyday objects, and even places, and eventually the world. The hands were directed by the wonderful Evie Fehilly, a sex educator who runs sex-positive workshops in London at the famous sex shop SH!. Despite the video being quite fun, I wanted to make a serious point at the end, after the world explodes in its orgasm, that masturbation is still for many women perceived as something shameful and embarrassing - the moment of shame after the ecstasy. We asked for any female-identifying people to anonymously submit their experiences of shame relating to masturbation, and we received so many heart-breaking and heavy stories. I hope that when people see these accounts, they can relate and realize that there’s no shame in masturbation.”
Marika Hackman’s new album Any Human Friend is out now on Sub Pop in North and South America and the rest of the world via AMF Records. The album was co-produced by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) and Marika herself, and shows off a sharper and more liberated sound than ever before.
Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Tonight Marika finishes her UK headline tour with a sold-out show in London at Islington Assembly Hall and will be heading to North America (with Hardly Art’s Girl Friday) and Europe later this year. See full dates below, and get tickets now here.
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* Dec. 08 - Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet Dec. 09 - Brussels, BE - Botanique-Rotonde Dec. 11 - Hamburg, DE - Häkken Dec. 12 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub Dec. 13 - Cologne, DE - Artheater Dec. 14 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere Mar. 05 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town
*w/ Girl Friday
Any Human Friend is available now. LP purchases through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on Salmon-colored vinyl (while supplies last).
