Any human friend

"With deadpan humour and rock-star confidence, Hackman essays her own restive, messy desires, from denial to acceptance ... On her third album, Hackman is both more exposed and more fun than she's ever been. She's far from the 22-year-old who emerged with her tender folk debut record in 2015, or even her swaggering experimental follow-up, I'm Not Your Man. Any Human Friend is like listening to a new artist: as she soars through electronic transitions, swears down the microphone and wields her electric guitar (see her scowling rock star performance in the video for The One), Hackman is more confident than ever ... Hackman sings about wrestling her way out of norms; she can't stand having a normal life or relationship, aches for something different and exciting, but doesn't quite know what that is. So far, so human. None of these passionate songs hold any answers, but they capture that tossing-and-turning fervour meticulously".

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"[Now, Hackman's] music is more in line with traditional alt-rock and retro new wave, with only a husk of her folk influences remaining. And lyrically, Hackman has torn down any remaining walls that prevent her from singing with complete and occasionally shocking honesty. For both Hackman and her listeners, this transformation is a win-win. She bares her soul in a truly liberating fashion, and the listeners are treated to both lyrical catharsis and the aural satisfaction of a full band's thump ... Whether the subject is sex, love, equality or heartbreak, Any Human Friend offers up the perfect combination - lyrics to make you think and music to make you move".

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"[Hackman] moves even further away from her starting point ... 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. There are guitars here, but they mostly serve as texture while the warm but clean electronic textures carry Hackman's melodies and make room for the lyrics. Any Human Friend sounds sleeker and more polished than Hackman's previous releases, but at the same time it takes the playfully libidinous tone of I'm Not Your Man and cranks it up a few levels. These songs leave no doubt that Hackman is a big fan of sex and pleasure, even if they can turn out to be problematic, and there's something quietly disarming in the unguarded way she sings about her needs".

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