Hachiku – the musical project of Anika Ostendorf – has announced their sophomore album, The Joys of Being Pure at Heart. The follow-up to 2020’s I’ll Probably Be Asleep comes out February 28 via Marathon Artists. It includes the previously released single ‘Time Wasted Worrying’, and a new track called ‘Tell Your Friends You Love Them’ is out today. Check out a video for it below, and scroll down the LP’s cover art and tracklist.
Commenting on the new song, Ostendorf said: “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.”
The new album, whose title riffs on the name of the beloved indie band the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, features harpist Mary Lattimore as well as the Newmarket Collective. Ostendorf’s band – bassist Jessie Warren, guitarist Georgia Smith, and drummer Simon Reynolds – recorded the LP at Nick Huggins’ studio on Wadawurrung County in Point Lonsdale, Australia, with Alex O’Gorman tracking additional drums at his studio on Boon Wurrung Country in Pakenham.
“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,” Ostendorf reflected. “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 Cover Artwork:
The Joys of Being Pure at Heart Tracklist:
1. Don’t Put Your Head Underwater
2. Tell Your Friends You Love Them
3. Keep on Swimming
4. Wild Eyed and Free
5. Do You Like What You See In Me
6. Victims of Our Own Demise
7. Time Wasted Worrying
8. What Rhymes with Serendipity
9. Fun For Everyone
10. Room For Everybody (Never Let Go of the Joy)
