Marika Hackman returns with new single ‘No Caffeine’
It has been four long years without much word from Marika Hackman to explain her hiatus. Now, she has finally made her return with the release of her single, ‘No Caffeine’.
The last note she left us on was Covers, an album which saw her tackle tracks by the likes of Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Beyoncé and Grimes. Now, she is ready to be rather more personal once more.
Speaking about her latest track, she explained: “’No Caffeine’ is a list of what to do to avoid having a panic attack and looking at my anxiety as an abusive partner.” As such, she sings: “Occupy your mind/ Don’t stay home/ Talk to all your friends/ But don’t look at your phone/ Scream into a bag/ Try to turn your brain off.”
The effort, however, is not a retiring quiver as you might expect from a song reciting a panic attack. In contrast, its gathering list gains an anthemic feel built upon a few sparse piano notes, with a lyrical topline vocal providing the melodies as layers and tempos enter the fray in phases to create a racing dynamic.
There is a sense of a bold, deep-end return with the single. This is reflected in the credits list too: Hackman played every instrument on the track and produced it before turning it over to Sam Petts-Davies and her friend in alt-J, Charlie Andrew, to fine-tune it and layer on some horns and strings.
The end result is something captures the irrational frenzy of a panic attack but replaces the dread with catchiness, thankfully. Much like the gathering sweats of anxiety, the song openly lays out its innocuous beginnings, a few fluttered notes pressed down on barely weighted piano keys, but it soon snowballs towards something defiantly orchestral and consuming without a transition being noticed.
Hackman has returned in considerable style. And in a rather more typical style, the details surrounding this release are also notably sparse. We’ll wait to hear from Chrysalis Records for more. But for now, you can check out the music video co-directed by Hackman and Natàlia Pagès below.
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