marika hackman - drown

Lara Johnson-Wheeler

When I spoke to Marika at her show at King Tut’s in Glasgow, she told me about the process of making the video for the first song, Drown, on her latest record, We Slept At Last. In the video, Marika is being held underwater by a disembodied, potentially but not decidedly, male hand. She described it quite candidly as ‘like being water-boarded for a whole day.’ In a separate interview online, the directors revealed that they were intentionally pushing her to her limits to get a real reaction. 

‘I had no idea they were going to do that!’ she laughed. ‘Yeah, it was shocking at first but once I got into it and was more prepared to be really dunked under it became bearable. But yeah, a really fucking tough day. Being held underwater until I couldn’t breathe for any longer isn’t ideal.’

The video is beautiful. Horrifying, in parts (like when blood- which is in fact corn starch mix- seeps from Marika’s nose and mouth. But to me, the most horrifying part still sounds like the process of being held underwater and filmed from 11-6. With a lunch break, Marika confirmed. ‘I’m pretty sure people who are getting water-boarded don’t get a lunch break. But I was definitely scared of eating fruit so I didn’t get gassy in the water. And I couldn’t have a sandwich because I don’t eat gluten. So I think I had a lamb shank with mashed potato- I mean, that was what was on offer so… that’s what I ate for lunch the day I got water-boarded!’ 

An important fact to remember, I would argue. Watch the video here to fully understand the torture Marika must have suffered in filming Drown, and just how thankful she must have been for the lamb shank.