Hachiku – the singular work of German-born Melbourne-based producer Anika Ostenfdorf – has just released the sparkling single ‘Fun For Everyone’ ahead of an album delightfully entitled ‘The Joys of Being Pure at Heart’, set for release on 28 February through Marathon Artists, as well as a panoply of tour dates.
‘Fun For Everyone’ sets the scene with its bright effervescent thrum and the yearning almost melancholic vocals that are almost contrapuntal to the beat. It’s a pulse quickening pure pop indie delight. There is a touch of Lily Allen in the almost distant, disassociated tones in Ostendorf’s velvet-soft voice, braced by a muscular beat and fuzzy guitars that reverberate around the brain. It is light, carefree and would warm the coldest of hearts.
There is also a whimsical, fey delight in the lyrics:
Look at me just once
Would you care, oh do you dare
Are you inclined…?
Just for the night
Ostendorf says of the track:
This song is our ‘a little bit sexy, a little bit raunchy, slightly out-of-character, opposite to death metal’ heavy rock song with bassoon. It took me a long time to figure out my sexuality, in the very essence that it is fluid, which I think is because I didn’t have any queer role models where I grew up so I didn’t know all the places sexuality could go. Over the years it’s morphed from asexual, to gay, to demisexual – I’m still discovering it day by day. The song is a little bit like a tongue-in-cheek roleplay of who I either wish I was or feel like I should be based on society’s expectations of how attraction traditionally works – I do have crushes and fall in love and experience sexual attraction, just in my own way!
A delightful paean to the fuzzy amorphous joys of attraction and a nod to the importance of growing up with queer role models.
The track features bassoon by Lyndon Watts – former principal bassoonist of German symphony orchestra Münchner Philharmoniker – doubling the lead guitar riffs across the track.
The accompanying video, co-directed by Ostendorf herself with Junsei Daniel is a quirky fun piece paying tribute to the classic movie ‘Run Lola Run’, featuring an energetic Ostendorf traipsing through London:
Such a refreshing and joyous track. ‘Fun For Everyone’ is out now and available to download and stream here.
The single is a very delicious taster for Hachiku’s new album ‘The Joys of Being Pure at Heart’ due out on 28 February 2025.
‘The Joys of Being Pure at Heart’ sees greater collaboration by Hachiku, 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. Ostendorf says:
It’s so fun and inspiring welcoming other people in and making music in ways I would never come to think of myself. I used to be a lot more protective about needing things 100% done my way, but wanted to welcome a new challenge for this record.
‘The Joys of Being Pure at Heart’ 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.
You can pre-order the album here and through the link below.
Hachiku will be touring extensively across the globe this year. You can catch her at the dates and venues below:
Tickets on sale now via hachikumusic.com/live
Sun 2 Mar – Permanent Records Roadhouse – Los Angeles, CA
4-9 Mar – New Colossus Festival – New York City, NY
Fri 7 Mar – The Pouch – Philadelphia, PA
10-15 Mar – SXSW Austin – Austin, TX
Fri 21 Mar – National Theatre – Walbanga Country/Braidwood, NSW
Saturday 22 Mar – Oxford Art Factory – Gadigal Land/Sydney, NSW
Sun 23 Mar – The Servo – Dharawal Country/Port Kembla, NSW
Fri 28 Mar – Northcote Social Club – Naarm/Melbourne, VIC
Sat 30 Mar – Royal Mail Hotel – Gulidjan Country/Birregurra, VIC
Wed 16 April – La Fosse – Laval, FR
Thur 17 Apr – Blonde Platine – Amiens, FR
Sat 19 Apr – Hebebühne – Hamburg, DE
Sun 20 Apr – Schokoladen – Berlin, DE
Tue 22 Apr – Ilses Erika – Leipzig, DE
Wed 23 Apr – Milla Live-Club – Munich, DE
Thur 24 Apr – Kulturzentrum Merlin – Stuttgart, DE
Fri 25 Apr – c/o pop Festival – Cologne, DE
Sat 26 Apr – Nun Kulturraum – Karlsruhe, DE
Sun 4 May – Sounds From The Other City – Manchester, UK
Wed 7 May – MONO – Glasgow, UK
Thur 8 May – Cobalt – Newcastle, UK
Fri 9 May – Rough Trade – Nottingham, UK
Sat 10 May – Headrow House – Leeds, UK
Sun 11 May – Rough Trade – Liverpool, UK
Mon 12 May – Rough Trade – Bristol, UK
Tue 13 May – The Boileroom – Guildford, UK
Wed 14 May – The Victoria – London, UK
15-17 May – Great Escape Festival – Brighton UK
Sun 18 May – Café de Loge – Gent, BE
Feature Photograph: Izzie Austin
