Nick Hakim

Nick Hakim sits somewhere between an analytical philosopher, mystic poet, and abstract painter. To hear him speak of music is to encounter someone who fully understands its power, who has been moved by its magic and seen its miracles. He’s devoted to music as both an ancient artform and eternal medicine. To hear him play music is to feel these truisms in live time. It’s a spirit that the New York-based songwriter has carried in his music—both as composer and collaborator. From early LPs like 2017’s Green Twins and 2020’s Will This Make Me Good, to his new album, I Can See, Hakim has pursued the truth in every note he’s written, every lyric he’s sung. His truth, though, is more akin to the abstract and intangible than the factual—more Borges than George Washington. It’s a cosmic assuredness that manifests throughout I Can See; a belief that the good in the universe is good for a reason.

 

Almost all of I Can See was recorded during the same time as Hakim’s last LP, 2022’s Cometa, but it exists in an entirely different universe than the one in which that project rests. It also, to a certain extent, exists in a different world than some of I Can See. Half of the album was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Texas, and the other half was pieced together in Hakim’s New York apartment. Both sessions took place during the pandemic, and as such, I Can See is a living, breathing reaction to Hakim’s shifting space in the world. It’s an image of an artist coming to terms with their reality, captured in such a way that it reveals new angles with each subsequent viewing—or, in our case, each subsequent listen.

 

I Can See is a defining statement from an artist who has yet to put out a record that is anything but. And yet, Nick Hakim’s fourth solo LP is a different experience than his previous efforts. It’s bolder, stronger, more confident. Hakim is more intimately attuned to his vision, and there’s not a note on the album that’s out of place. Nick Hakim might shudder at anyone calling him a healer, but this is certainly music for healing, for taking a breath and facing the world with confidence, lucidity, and joy. “There’s something very gentle and very medicinal about this music. Obviously, we all want our music to be heard by people, but I have a different intention with this record,” he explains, before adding: “The intention is for it to connect with people that need it.”