My journey to discover new music by female artists in 2024 continues with one of the most highly regarded albums of the year so far. Big Sigh was the first album I found in my search a couple of weeks ago, and it has slowly crept to the top of my listen-to-while-I-work list. It is interesting to see how influential the music of the ’90s and early 2000s has become on the music of the 2020s. Using only this album as an example, I hear strong connections to the lo-fi/living room movement of artists like Sufjan Stevens and Iron and Wine as well as songwriting similar to 90s indie rock. Like most 2020s music, all these sounds are mixed together with modern pop production sensibilities. This doesn’t always work but when the songwriter is as talented as Marika Hackman the results can be outstanding. It is interesting that this is where modern pop/rock music has landed after several decades that were defined by the sounds of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. There are plenty of artists still influenced by those decades, but those movements have come and gone, and were mostly focused in hard rock, punk, and new wave. The sounds of 90s rock, pop, indie rock, and rap now define most of the music of the last 20 years, and Hackman’s songwriting falls firmly in that realm.

Big Sigh by Marika Hackman

Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way. Marika Hackman is an English songwriter who has been recording for about ten years. Big Sigh is her fourth full length album, but her first collection of new material in five years and her first for Chrysalis records. Hackman is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitars, drums, bass, synths, piano, strings, and percussion. She composed, co-produced, and arranged all of the tunes and performs all of the vocals. She also drew the bleak and powerful album cover.

The aspect I like best about Hackman’s new album is the depth of sound she presents. The first track “The Ground” is a quiet piano and vocal tune with subtle strings that slowly builds into a noisy burst of sound. This slides into the catchy single “No Caffeine” with a Radiohead-esque bass and drum sound and a gorgeous synth/string interlude. It is a perfect pair of songs to kick off the 10-song, 35-minute collection of material that all falls somewhere in between. The title track is a song that Mitski would be happy to have written. The slow and quiet tune “Blood” is followed by the even quieter “Hanging” before it kicks in for the last minute of catchy, layered pop perfection. The gorgeous instrumental “The Lonely House” starts the second half of the album with solo piano before several more tunes ranging from minimal synth tunes to upbeat indie rock. The record finishes with “The Yellow Mile,” a gorgeous song that presents a simple acoustic guitar and lovely melody that Sam Beam would be happy to have written 20 years ago. I would not be surprised if this final track ends up being the most popular tune on the album.

All in all, this is a gorgeous album that is definitely on my early list for best of the year. Like most great records, the songs stay with you and you discover something new every time you listen. I have only just begun writing these stand-alone album reviews, and one thing I can say is that if I choose to review an album it is because I like it. I have already listened to dozens of albums in 2024, and very few have been of high enough quality for me to want to review them. I briefly considered giving some sort of stars ratings in these reviews, but I think it is safe to assume that I would give them all at least 4 out 5 if I have elected to spend my time reviewing them. Much like the posts I have written over the last 3 years, my reviews will cover a wide variety of music. Hopefully you can find something you will enjoy in them, even if you don’t enjoy sounds ranging from post-metal to acoustic singer/songwriters. As always, thanks for listening, and reading!

To learn more about Marika Hackman, check out her official website or visit her Instagram page.

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