Episode 42: Anika Ostendorf – Hachiku

If you’re anything like me, then the chances are good you’ve been spending the past few years eagerly awaiting a full-length return from Hachiku.Started as the musical project of Anika Ostendorf just under a decade ago, Hachiku rose to fame as part of the beloved Milk! Records stable, with a handful of releases preceding the arrival of her debut album, 2020’s ‘I’ll Probably Be Asleep’.Again, if you’re anything like me, you probably listened to that album and truly fell in love with it. After all, how can you not? It’s got Anika’s masterful musical approach towards dream-pop, indie dance, and much more combining to craft something truly special.However, for those eagerly awaiting a follow-up soon after, well, there was a bit of a wait – almost four years in fact – before Hachiku returned with new singles. Thankfully, it was all in the lead-up to a new album, with ‘The Joys Of Being Pure At Heart’ arriving today, on February 28th.It’s a stellar album, full of that exuberant, immersive dreamy indie-pop style that has won Anika and her musical collaborators so much praise.Of course, there’s no time to rest on those laurels, because Hachiku will be hitting the road almost immediately, with dates in the US, Australia, and Europe scheduled to keep them all busy for the next few months.Thankfully, before things got too hectic, Anika was kind enough to join the podcast this week for a chat, and I couldn’t be more grateful.Anyway, I strongly urge you to check out Hachiku’s latest album, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.