Marika Hackman - I'm Not Your Man

The Guardian 80

(AMR Records)

Hurrah for Hackman! The British musician has, for her second album, set fire to her twee-ish sound and risen from the alt-folk scene like a proper stomping pop star, all sharp suits and songs that brood with breakup angst and simmer with sexuality. Her pearlescent lightness is still there in her sweetly sung cut-glass vocals, but in place of acoustic twangs there are heavy lidded licks and an overall louche noir. Grunge and shoegaze set the tone this time: the diaphanous guitar chimes enveloping like a cape.

Standout track Good Intentions has an Alt-J-like intricacy to the rhythm until Hackman erupts into dissonant playground yeah-ing and L7-ish crunch, while Gina’s World and So Long have an excellent, lip-curling sultriness – bedroom pop gone sinister. There’s more straightforward upbeat festival indie on My Lover Cindy – the wry twist being that she’s not some mop-top bloke singing about a girlfriend – and Cigarette echoes her former beautifully plucked form. But make no mistake: this is a fiercer Hackman, joining the ranks of Wolf Alice and letting her inner swagger shine.