Today, Australian alt-dance trio Haiku Hands (Claire Nakazawa, Beatrice Lewis, and Mie Nakazawa) release their anticipated sophomore album Pleasure Beast via Spinning Top Records. The record is a sonic exploration of the different realms of Haiku Hands’ minds, life experiences, energies, and beast modes… sometimes there is joy, and sometimes there is mayhem; sometimes four on the floor (recent single “Cool For You”), and sometimes a tropical island dream bath (today’s focus single “Paradise”). They are also currently in the US joining Big Freedia to close out this year with a real life party. Listen to  Pleasure Beast HERE.

Of “Paradise,” which was written in quarantine with Caleb Nott (Broods) Bea Lewis says, “I wanted this song to feel like a 3 minute holiday into another dimension. What it would feel like taking mushrooms and laying on a beach watching the sun go down, feeling the sand underneath your feet and feeling like the sky and the sea in front of you never ends.” 

“I want pleasure on my French toast / I am here to be, to be sexy and free.” What other electro-pop-rap manifesto starts with a declaration for sexy bread? What other album is the sonic manifestation of reaching into a grab-bag and feeling a mixture of crumbled leaves, Lego, and Lucky Charms? What other album artwork marries the Korean symbolism of the Tree of Life with Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa basked in a glowstick sun? Welcome to Pleasure Beast: the incarnation of simple creatures with simple pleasures seeking peace in a world that wants to separate and divide. It’s the sound of umami at a rave. It’s the sweaty festival dancefloor as a public service. It’s the political act of writing and performing in the first place. It’s the forbidden bitter fruit that dares you to be human.

Haiku Hands’ new album follows the success of their 2020 self-titled debut, dubbed an “unapologetic blast of gleeful rebellion,” that received critical acclaim from the likes of NME, Rolling Stone, DIY and Paste. They’re currently in the US for a string of dates with Big Freedia hitting the East Coast, and will continue on to headline tours in the UK and Australia in early 2024. Haiku Hands have toured extensively through Australia, Europe, the UK & the US, including their most recent set at NYC’s Governor’s Ball, which landed them the cover of Sydney Morning Herald’s S Magazine and Rolling Stone’s roundup. With their wild choreography and high-energy production, Haiku Hands are winning festival crowds over at Wide Awake, Splendour in the Grass, Sydney World Pride, and many others. They’ve received recent love from Rolling Stone, Ones To Watch, Sirius XMU, KUTX, both Spotify and Apple editorial playlists, and more.

Already new album Pleasure Beast has debut at #2 on the US Submodern Radio chart and will featured on the BBC New Album Fix Show. The album received a 7 star review in Uncut (UK) and the band will feature in the upcoming Australian edition of Big Issue.