HACHIKU ANNOUNCES SOPHOMORE ALBUM THE JOYS OF BEING PURE AT HEART VIA MARATHON ARTISTS FEB 28
PREVIEWS NEW SINGLE/VIDEO “TELL YOUR FRIENDS YOU LOVE THEM”
“a striking comeback” – Rolling Stone
“Hachiku may well be the Björk of the bedroom pop generation” – SXSW
“Her music is fully deserving of support; fun, literate, whipsmart indie rock with an alt-pop appeal.” – CLASH Magazine
“Hachiku’s globe-trotting has made for more worldly pop, and her songs have a homespun feel that is both intimate and magical, assured and hard to pigeonhole.” Brooklyn Vegan
“radiates Björk-like whimsy, thanks to Ostendorf’s precise vocal delivery and a rich tapestry of backing harmonies… a quiet triumph” Bandcamp (Album of the Day)
“There is nothing undercooked about this majestic piece of music, a haunting ethereal plod through raw emotion, with Ostendorf’s icy voice rhythmically plucking each syllable.” The Guardian
“Despite years on the road, Ostendorf creates a sense of home for herself in the dreamy but avant-garde bedroom pop of Hachiku.” – NPR
Naarm/Melbourne-via-Germany-via-Detroit indie-rock/alt-pop outfit HACHIKU – the music project from Anika Ostendorf (she/her) – today announces their sophomore album The Joys of Being Pure at Heart, out Feb 28 via Marathon Artists.
Featuring ‘Time Wasted Worrying’ – their first single in four years released in June – and new single ‘Tell Your Friends You Love Them’ out today with its video, The Joys of Being Pure at Heart sees Ostendorf trace her journey to openness, embracing deep human connection, radical honesty and vulnerability with herself and others for the first time, while remaining determinedly open-hearted towards life despite its challenges and disappointments.
The record brings collaboration to the forefront of Hachiku unlike ever before, which was inspired by co-producing and playing on Jen Cloher’s ARIA, AMP, AIR and Music Victoria-nominated fifth album I Am The River, The River Is Me (2023) and being a part of queer-run, community-minded Naarm/Melbourne label Milk! Records.
Hachiku’s new single “Tell Your Friends You Love Them” is a masterclass in bright and textured indie-pop; atmospheric guitars sweeping over bubbly synths and layered vocals, the arrangement revealing more and more with each listen.
“Not everything can always be so sure / Your impulse is to think that you need more / Now hang in there – embrace the mystery / See, you’re exactly where you need to be” she sings, leaning into the discomfort of uncertainty and understanding that things will make sense when you’re ready for them to.
Anika Ostendorf shares of the single; “I spent a long time feeling constantly split, like my head was forever in two places at once. I was never satisfied but forever anxious. This is me coming to terms with being stuck, embracing the not knowing and getting comfortable with that.”
WATCH: Hachiku – ‘Tell Your Friends You Love Them’
About The Joys of Being Pure at Heart LP
Author Tim Krieder once said, “if we want the rewards of being loved we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known,” and this idea is the lifeblood running through The Joys of Being Pure at Heart (a title which riffs off the name of a beloved indie band). Across the album, Anika Ostendorf writes from a newly vulnerable place – after years of unintentionally being closed off – and brings in hope, love, honesty, humour and community tied together with a sense of wonder and joy. By placing trust in those around her, Ostendorf promises to stay open, kind and loving, embracing life’s uncertainties and difficulties regardless of the darkness we all experience sometimes.
Ostendorf shares: “I never quite understood why a pure heart could cause you pain, but I wanted myself to stay that way among the challenges of the world that could leave you jaded, scared and bitter. It’s not about being naive or shielding oneself from the realities of human existence but there’s something beautiful and joyous in maintaining an openness to the world. If I can be compassionate and gentle with myself, I can show compassion to others. Remain understanding, believe in the best in all, have hope.”
The Joys of Being Pure at Heart features renowned harpist Mary Lattimore (Kurt Vile, Thurston Moore) and classical music group The Newmarket Collective, two collaborations when merged with electronic pop create novel pieces of contemporary music that defy genre boundaries. The album was primarily recorded by Ostendorf across various home studios and mobile setups; her band – Jessie Warren (she/her; bass, BVs), Georgia Smith (they/she; guitar, BVs) and Simon Reynolds (he/him – drums) recorded at Nick Huggins’ (Jess Ribeiro, The Dirty Three, Jen Cloher, Alice Skye) studio on Wadawurrung County in Point Lonsdale, with Alex O’Gorman (Angie McMahon, Hannah McKittrick, Garage Sale) recording additional drums at his studio on Boon Wurrung Country in Pakenham.
About HACHIKU
HACHIKU is the brainchild of German-Australian producer Anika Ostendorf, who writes and produces worldly indie rock with an alt-pop appeal alongside her band. Through the release of their self-recorded and self-mixed EPs Hachiku (2017) and 99 Dreams (2020) and critically acclaimed debut LP I’ll Probably Be Asleep (2020), Hachiku has steadily built a loyal global fan base hinged on catchy melodies, shimmering walls of sound, and their praised live performances. They have seen consistent support and acclaim from NPR’s All Songs Considered, Bandcamp, DIY Magazine, Clash Magazine and NME among others, and are continuously invited to support household names around the UK, Europe, U.S. and so-called-Australia including Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, The Breeders, José González and Snail Mail, including festival slots at Iceland Airwaves and SXSW. Hachiku’s music has been featured on Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls and Audi’s mysterious 13-minute ‘Led Balloon’ film commercial.
Pre-order The Joys of Being Pure at Heart HERE; stream new single ‘Tell Your Friends You Love Them’ HERE.
HACHIKU – The Joys of Being Pure at Heart
Feb 28, 2025 (Marathon Artists)
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TRACK LIST
Don’t Put Your Head Underwater
Tell Your Friends You Love Them
Keep on Swimming
Wild Eyed and Free
Do You Like What You See In Me
Victims of Our Own Demise
Time Wasted Worrying
What Rhymes with Serendipity
Fun For Everyone
Room For Everybody (Never Let Go of the Joy)
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