Marika Hackman - Big Sigh
There's no hiding from the heavy themes, reflecting on relationships and the pain of regret - but the listening is rewarding.
By: Heidi Bray
Big Sigh has power - it's not whimsical or floating through clouds despite its lush string overlays. It has teeth and grit sitting underneath each song.
Five albums in, Marika Hackman has maintained impressive reliability. Her music is uniquely honest and raw, balancing both anthemic indie-rock with introspective regret and reflection.
While her previously and critically acclaimed Any Human Friend from 2019 is as blunt and honest as Big Sigh, it had an air of happiness. That is not the case on Big Sigh - a relatively heavy record of sullen sounds accompanying her airy, beautiful vocals.
Big Sigh is, again, overwhelmingly personal. A sound of sorrowful piano and guitar fills the air and surrounds the lush vocals of Hackman. The opener, "The Ground," is simply gorgeous. It sets the stage and opens the large doors for us to enter the world of Big Sigh. It is cinematic, more of a movie soundtrack than an album starter.
Interestingly, the next song, "Caffeine," might be the most unlike the rest of the album - and yet was the first track to be announced. It came out before the album itself was even announced. It is a fun, more upbeat, concise track with witty lyrics and a textbook chorus. It pairs nicely with "Slime," showcased later in the album, as the two tracks harken back to her sound previously on Any Human Friend.
Otherwise, the remainder is a sound of dark gray. Her talent seeps through in its simplistic weight, never heavy-handed in a song's construction. Big Sigh has power - it's not whimsical or floating through clouds despite its lush string overlays. It has teeth and grit underneath each song.
Big Sigh is a wonderful blend of sounds and ideas. There is anger. It can be cold.
"The Lonely House" is a vocal-less piano solo that drips with a soaking sadness and leads us into lyrics that fearlessly hit you like, "Mom says I'm a waste of skin / a sack of shit and oxygen" on the following "Vitamins."
There's no hiding from the heavy themes, reflecting on relationships and the pain of regret - but the listening is rewarding as the execution is meticulous and sonically bold. While it might not be the easiest listen thematically, it's an impressive and important step for Hackman and her career thus far.
