MARILYN HUCEK BARES HER SOUL IN NEW SELF-TITLED ALBUM
Through a cinematic lens, Marilyn Hucek blurs the lines of indie-pop music with country-inspired tunes on her stunning new album MARILYN. The album is a well-crafted narrative, combining themes of identity, love and womanhood in an authentic, musical self portrait, allowing listeners to get an unfiltered glimpse of her soul.
Graphic by Rosi Martens
Image via Marilyn Hucek
MARILYN is structured as a continuous, linear tale while simultaneously straying from the path to incorporate varying subjects. The album kicks off with “I Made It,” an upbeat track about the feeling of freedom from seeing, hearing, feeling all the sights on a road trip. As the first track, “I Made It” establishes the storyline as well as the atmosphere, incorporating a strong guitar with bright lyricism to create a track that feels like driving down the open road with the car top down.
The Chilean-American singer-songwriter continues the album with the second track “Naked,” which, as the name suggests, is an honest track about trusting someone to be vulnerable with, while acknowledging the intimidating nature of such behavior. The perspective alternates throughout the song, with the verses being sung in second person while the choruses are in first person, simultaneously establishing the relatable and often shared experience of feeling fully seen, inside and out, by someone else while Hucek remains true to her internal feelings.
The third track “Love to Hate You” is slightly more stripped back in the verses with an acoustic guitar being highlighted musically, contrasted by a strong beat in the chorus. Lyrically, “Love to Hate You” explores the turmoils of love, emphasizing the feeling of being addicted to someone you know is not good for you, but persisting in the name of love. The song bridges raw honesty with catchy vocals, creating a track that is as artistic as it is memorable.
Following “Love to Hate You” is “Pressure Makes Diamonds,” a coming of age track tackling the difficulties of growing up and taking on new challenges in the world while having love on your side. Hucek utilizes soft acoustic guitar and a snappy beat in the production of the song, allowing her vocals to echo in the forefront of the song, further emphasizing the lyricism.
The pace picks up in “Rebound,” with a heavy beat alongside the classic guitar strums reflecting the more chaotic nature of experiencing a rebound. Mirroring the content “Love to Hate You,” Hucek passionately sings about the experience of going back to the one you love, even when you have told yourself you would not do so again; through her narrative based lyricism, she weaves a story that is undeniably authentic and relatable.
“To Be or Not to Be” shifts gears both musically and lyrically, with a soft piano underlying Hucek’s ever so slightly echoey vocals. The song unpacks the complexities of potential motherhood, disentangling her fears from her expectations and exploring the fine balance between independence, identity and her place as a woman in the world. The lyrics paint a picture of her own experiences growing up and unpacks the dialogue women often hear when confronted with the idea of motherhood against a stripped back, piano-centered musical background that emphasizes the delicateness of the topic.
In the final two tracks, Hucek pays homage to her roots; the penultimate track, “Me Salvaste el Alma” honors her Chilean-American background with a heartfelt, Spanish-language love song. “Neil Young” was written in honor of Hucek’s late father, and is a touching, tender track that captures a tangible image of glimpses of her memories with him, balancing the impact her father has had on her life with his absence in this moving track. This track perfectly illustrates her vulnerability and commitment to creating intimately authentic art, a defining trait throughout MARILYN.
By the final note of MARILYN, Marilyn Hucek conquers devastatingly difficult and ever evolving themes of motherhood, love, self realization, and all of the fluctuations in between, creating a fluid piece of art that is as honest as it is relatable. The album pulls you in with her experiences and leaves you feeling as though you have lived through them too with an immersive, narrative-driven listen.
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