A Q&A with Castaway

As told to Liam Stretch. Pictures provided.

Castaway is a band many of those in Ōtautahi might be familiar with - having gained a reputation at the city’s university scene, through playing at the infamous Tea Party. For everyone else, they are a sultry soft rock band that is sure to win over your ears, hearts, and minds.

Tell us the Castaway story: Who are you? How did you come to be?

Kia ora, everyone. We’re Castaway, a band of five Kiwi fellas who love to jam. We like to swap our stuff around on stage, so on our roster we’ve got Joe on vocals, drums and rhythm guitar; Rhys on vocals, drums, keys and lead guitar; Jack on saxophone and keys; Austen on bass, and Jackson on vocals, drums, keys and rhythm guitar.

We’re five blokes hailing from every corner of Aotearoa, and we congregated in Christchurch at the beginning of 2018. We all moved into the same hall of residence in Fresher Year and, as musos do, we gravitated towards each other like magnets. We actually all lived in the same building - Wilson house, it was called (hence the name Castaway). Jam sessions in each other’s rooms happened naturally, and we found we had bags of chemistry and got on really well. We certainly kept the hall up late at night, but those impromptu hangouts quickly turned into practices which flowed to us getting gigs in the uni scene, and that laid the foundations for our adventures as Castaway.

How would you describe your sound?

We’re five very different blokes that bring a vast array of taste and feel to the band, and we’re influenced by all kinds of music from jazz to rock to Gregorian chanting (look it up, it’s pretty epic). We would definitely say we fall under the umbrella of contemporary rock, with an emphasis on the groove of the music, and pride ourselves on a polished and funky sound. We often joke that we can’t think of one term to describe our sound, but maybe that’s the cool part - people can give whatever name to our music they feel fits best. 

What can we expect from the EP? Style, sound, lyrically.

Our debut EP is fresh but familiar, with four pretty different songs giving a taste of everything ‘Castaway’, from funky pop-beats and ripping sax solos to bop-your-head basslines and scintillating vocal harmonies. The idea behind the EP, Chaos and Order, stems from a couple of things. Firstly, we have two beautiful lead vocalists with very different voices - Joe’s is powerful, raspy and thunderous, and Jackson’s is velvety, smooth and agile - so that creates a duality of Chaos and Order in our song-writing. C+O is also a great analogy for music: the way the music ends up is ordered and in line with these steadfast conventions, but the creative process behind it is unpredictable, turbulent, and pretty random. It’s a buzzy concept, but we think it really shows through in the four very different songs of the EP.

When is it set to be released?

Our debut single, Straight for Starters, is out today with the EP following a couple of weeks after. Keep an eye on our socials to keep up to date.

What was the production process like?

It was the first time any of us had been in a studio, so it was such a cool experience to see how the mahi happens behind the scenes. The only thing we can really compare it to is school camp: for those days in the studio, the outside world stood still, we lived completely in the moment, and nothing else mattered for three days: it was just music, music, music. We ate, drank and slept music, and that was super invigorating. We’re all fizzing to get back once we write some new stuff. 

Obviously writing music is a big part of the band’s identity, what inspired the lyrics in this release?

Lyrics do mean a lot to us, and our debut EP is the exposé that documents us moving into adulthood and looking at the world with a perspective past adolescence. As young adults, we’re at this crazy time where we’re all going through so much in relationships, careers, and identity, and trying to make sense of it all is a pretty unique challenge. That’s the beauty of this time in life - we don’t know the answers, but we’re just living and having fun figuring them out. All our songs touch on a unique element of that transition and what it’s like to be in the midst of it all, on the sunny and rainy days. 

In your view, what makes good lyrics?

As you can imagine, we all think about this differently, and that is super important - we are a very collaborative bunch of lads and difference in perspective is something we work to embrace. Austen (bass gat) summed it up nicely by saying that good lyrics say something you’re aware of, but in a new way - an interesting way of articulating stuff you’ve felt, seen, or thought before. We also feel that lyrics are deeply intertwined with melody; what you say is changed by how you sing it. We like to play with that in our songs because it puts more colours on our easel and allows us to really convey whatever emotion we’re going for.

What do you hope listeners will take away?

The Castaway ocean has finally opened up, and we just want people to enjoy dipping their toes in. We’ve got four very different but cohesive songs that we hope people can get on board with and grasp what we’re trying to stand for. If anything, we hope that every listener, whoever they are, can find just one moment in the four songs that will resonate with them. That would be pretty special. 

What’s next on the radar for Castaway?

At the moment we’re all over the country for summer break, which gives us a chance to look into ourselves, focus on what we’re all individually capable of and then bring it to the band and see what we can create as a team. When we’re united back in Christchurch, we want to play our music to as many people from as many walks of life as possible and spread the messages we’ve woven into our songs far and wide. In the background, we’ll be creating some new stuff, and on that front, we really want to embrace what we’ve learnt from this EP and take things to the next level. Watch this space! 

Castaway’s last word?

Enjoy the EP, and if you find that one moment that resonates with you, hold it close to you. Or scream it from the rooftops. Or post it on your Insta story. We actively endorse all three. Big love everyone!