Marika Hackman

Big Sigh sees Marika leave the carnal days of her 20s behind, crafting a beautiful and complex piece of work which is less a photo-real documentation of the moment, but more like an artist peering through a gap in a door to reassess her former life. Big Sigh - the “hardest record” Marika has ever made - is, as its title suggests, a release of sorts. It is an edifying blend of sadness, stress and lust, but mostly - and crucially - that of relief. Previously released singles in the lead up to the album were the anxiety fighting anthem “No Caffeine”, contrast capturing “Hanging”, the steaming hot “Slime” ​​a song about the tremulous beginnings of a relationship, which was Playlisted at BBC Radio 6 and album closer “The Yellow Mile”. Where some of Marika’s early records pummelled the gut, forthcoming new album Big Sigh toys more with the mind. Marika’s records have always had a wry, disturbing preoccupation with bodily expulsions - blood, puke and beyond. These are all the physical elements of being alive that make Marika feel out of control, the ones she so desperately avoids in real life but on this album she confronts corporeality with brutal honesty.