Francisco Martin gets real with himself on his fiery new pop-rock tune, “hate you to love myself”. The latest single from the San Francisco artist is an electric guitar-driven anthem for self-love. Herein, Martin levels with himself and speaks honestly about the realities of his anxieties, giving himself room to feel and grow as a person. The pain and subsequent catharsis are palpable in his punchy vocal performance, accentuated by an electric rhythm that keeps the tune plugging along. Musically, it feels cut from a similar playbook as Harry Styles or James Bay and offers a different side of Martin from the breezy, acoustic-pop stylings of the previous PopMatters premiere, “If U Need Me”.
“hate you to love myself” features on Martin’s upcoming six-track EP, Manic, with the artist bravely sharing personal reflections on mental health, relationships, and more. Regarding the single, he tells PopMatters, “‘hate you to love myself’ is me coming to terms with my past behavior and learning how to be a better person in a relationship. I was a terrible person to be around during 2021. I was constantly on the brink of anger and anxiety and fell a little too off the deep end. In turn, I treated the people I love and care most about badly. This is the “oldest” song on the EP, and it went through a ton of different production changes before I finally got to the finished version. My friend Jon Hume helped me produce it, and even though the subject matter can be heavy at times, I hope you can still enjoy the song.”
Manic releases on 26 August.