Hachiku explores the ache of homesickness on her latest single, “Keep on Swimming”.
The nostalgic indie-pop track previews Anika Ostendorf’s upcoming album under the Hachiku moniker, The Joys of Being Pure at Heart, arriving February 28th.
Ostendorf explains, “During the pandemic I was trying to make up my mind whether I’d be more successful swimming from Australia back to Germany or digging a tunnel through the earth – this song is the resulting love letter to my family back home and everyone I’ve ever missed.
“There’s a certain self-inflicted heartache in the repeated goodbyes and the masochism of choosing to move to the other side of the world – always wondering and worrying, yet holding onto the belief that it was for good reason.”
Accompanied by a dreamy video filmed along Berlin’s Neukölln canals, directed by Tom Mannion and Caity Moloney, the clip gives a nostalgic nod to her roots in Germany. Watch it below.
“I really wanted to shoot the video back home in Germany – the semi-bleak concrete architecture feels nostalgic to me as it reminds me of my younger self growing up just outside of Cologne,” Ostendorf adds.
Alongside previous singles, “Time Wasted Worrying” and “Tell Your Friends You Love Them”, The Joys of Being Pure at Heart traces Ostendorf’s journey toward deepening human connections, honesty, and openness despite life’s inevitable challenges.
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.”
These new releases follows up on Hachiku’s 2021 collaboration with Jen Cloher, “Fairytale in the Supermarket”, along with her critically acclaimed debut album, I’ll Probably Be Asleep (2020).
Hachiku’s “Keep on Swimming” is out now via Marathon Artists/Independent.
