Brooklyn-based musician Nick Hakim has released his sophomore album WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD a question he tries to answer throughout the album.
The album swerves between a lot of different ideas and sounds with soulful, melancholic vocals helping to carry the project at its core. There are songs that are easy listens, meant for the rooftop on a summer day like “GOD’S DIRTY WORK,” but there are moments of heady sadness that reflect the world around Hakim turning in devastating circles.
“BOUNCING” chronicles his struggle to fight nightly anxiety (been there buddy) with its forlorn strings and his voice tearing away at the darkest part of your soul.
Much of this album is Hakim’s struggle to fight through writer’s block and come to terms with the shit going on around us.
“For a while, I couldn't write. I worked on new music but couldn't find the right words. But that time was just a build-up to the three months of expression that led to this album. I hope this music will raise awareness about where we are right now,” he explains in a statement. “About how we are living on this planet. About how we treat our neighbors. About community. About depression. About what can heal us and what can't. About overmedication, overstimulation and manipulation. About respecting and loving the people around us, because one day they won't be here-or you won't.
“Vincent Tyler” tackles the humanity's capacity for violence and what it is like to see it face-to-face. It is ostensibly inspired by the 2007 killing of a Vincent Tyler in Hakim’s hometown of Washington D.C and slowly builds until a heavily distorted and disturbed end as the raw emotions of death come crashing down.
However, this is not just a man struggling to comprehend the world around him and his own inner struggles, there are songs that soar and provide hope. “QADIR” is jazzy, soulful and beautiful to help provide some clarity after the hazy opening few tracks.
With his sophomore album Nick Hakim has delivered a complex and satisfying body of work that unveils new anecdotes with each listen. This is one that can be listened to on a sad night at home or a sunny day outdoors. It somehow fits both situations. And you will be forced to think about the human condition. The best of all worlds.
Get your copy of the album here and stream it below.
