This album—a treasure trove of zippy guitar hooks, glimmering synths and lemony vocals expertly curated by Hackman—is all about human connection. She hones in on her emotional and sexual connections both to herself and others post-breakup.
Her third record is a continuation of that organic growth, a resplendent piece of pop/rock/folk that is as beguiling musically as it is lyrically blunt.
Any Human Friend is an explosive body of work, one that isn’t afraid to discuss sex and female eroticism with a microscopic lens.
From the arresting cover to the startling contents, Any Human Friend signals Hackman’s coming of age as an artist with real purpose and star power.
With Any Human Friend, British singer-songwriter Marika Hackman largely ditches her folk leanings and makes a sharp, emotionally resonant statement.
A blunt, bold album on which Hackman’s beatific voice sits atop methodically messy instrumentals.
Any Human Friend is Hackman's most attention-demanding work to date, and positions her as one of the most refreshing voices in British music right now.
Hackman flits between self-reflection and self-loathing with ease, starkly unpicking her anxieties over fuzzy guitar on her most accomplished record to date.
This record will be described as sexy and filthy but it is also heart-breaking and grotesque and beautiful and funny and complex.
It’s a giant leap from We Slept At Last.
Any Human Friend confirms that Hackman has successfully carved out a particular place for herself in a crowded indie rock scene: no other rocker is making reliably catchy pop tunes with this level of confidence and honest complication.
The British singer-songwriter’s third album is a singular, extraordinarily horny, and occasionally bleak pop record largely about the complexities of queer desire.
While I'm Not Your Man suggested Hackman had belatedly discovered indie rock, Any Human Friend plays like her hip pop move, with plenty of keyboards and drum machines holding down the backing tracks and Hackman layering glossy harmonies around her vocals.
#5 | / | Far Out Magazine |
#17 | / | God Is In The TV |
#20 | / | Rough Trade |
#23 | / | The Independent |
#23 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#26 | / | Under the Radar |
#32 | / | Paste |
#33 | / | NBHAP |
#36 | / | No Ripcord |
#38 | / | Gigwise |