Daily Routines, Dreams of Collaboration and Two Truths and a Lie, an Interview with Castaway
If you don’t know these fellas in Castaway, you will be hooked after this interview! L-R (from top to bottom): Austen, Joe, Jackson, Jack and Rhys. Photo provided by Castaway’s Instagram.
Intoxicatingly charming, university-born Christchurch band, Castaway, are not only best buds, but creative geniuses in their field who haven’t stopped revolutionising their crafts ever since they emerged onto the music scene, capturing the attention of listeners both in New Zealand and worldwide.
I caught up with the band via email for a chat and let me tell you, the Castaway lads have some absolutely fantastic answers to my questions, so, without further ado, let’s get into the interview!
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Congratulations on your newest epic release, Supernova! I love how the song came about - you've said it's a mix of shared nostalgia from the band, wishing to break free with your high school sweethearts and looking at going on big adventures. How does it make you feel knowing that they are able to hear these words within Supernova? Have you had any feedback from said high school sweethearts yet?
Castaway: Jee, thanks so much Ash! We are beyond stoked with how the song has come out and that people are vibing it. We haven’t heard from any old flames yet, maybe we should send it through to get their thoughts (the ones that we haven’t blocked, that is)! We’ll keep you posted…
But in all seriousness, we have had some awesome feedback from everyone so far and we’re truly thrilled with the positive reception. It’s extra special when something has been in the works for so long, and you believe in it so strongly, but don’t know for sure if it’s going to resonate with people. So, hearing our mates sing along at parties and seeing new fans all over the world streaming it is seriously humbling for us!
Supernova brings you back to the early 2000s and I've noticed that as a band, you have this kind of old soul vibe, which is unique in the NZ music world. How do you feel that this sets you apart from others?
Castaway: We all come from different musical backgrounds, and collaborating to bring these together is the essence of the Castaway sound. We all love the music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s such as Toto, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Journey - and of course, the 2000s! Bands like The Killers and Coldplay have played a huge part in forging our musical identity. Something that we feel blessed about is that we have two lead singers, and weaving Jackson’s silky smoothness with Joe’s big, powerful voice is a big part of our sound. We love harmonies, which is central to the old soul vibe you mention, and love playing with the contrast that we can create with two such unique voices. This is something we’ve worked hard on imbuing into Supernova and our upcoming releases this year.
It's been quite some time since we have heard any new releases from Castaway, what's been going on for you guys since the release of your EP, Chaos and Order, back in 2021?
Castaway: Although we haven’t had any music out since 2021, we have been non-stop busy developing and crafting our songwriting. We enrolled in the SOLE Music Academy artist development course in 2022 which focused on songwriting and music business. This was a huge step for us as we decided to take the band seriously and give it a good go. We learnt a lot about the industry and met some incredible artists and mentors such as Tiki Taane, Will McGillivray, and Prins. This began our journey transitioning from a university band to something more.
In the artist development course, we were tasked with writing 20 songs across the year. It pushed us hard, but these songs have laid the foundation for our sophomore EP, “Nondual”. In 2023, we started working with producers to get these songs off the ground and met the legendary Greg Haver. We travelled up to Auckland to record in The Lab Studio with Greg and his A-team, and Nondual started coming to life.
What kind of differences do you feel you have implemented into your music since Chaos and Order?
Castaway:
Incorporating synths - we got a gorgeous red Nord Lead 4 and the sounds that come out of the thing blow our minds. We take a lot of notes on how The Killers and Coldplay use synths to create emotion and soundscape - you’ll hear a bit of that throughout Supernova and our upcoming songs.
More intentional and crafted song and lyric writing - our first EP was authentic and youthful, which definitely left some room for our next body of work to be more deeply iterated and refined.
Sounds and production - Our first EP was squarely in the indie rock genre which represented us and our taste at the time. As we’ve explored wider inspirations for our songs we’ve been paying close attention to the nuances that really make the difference. We’ve had a lot of fun trying to incorporate these elements into our new music and we hope that our listeners pick these up too.
Mastered our craft - we’ve all spent heaps of time slaving away to the master of music, the humble Metronome. Being tight is key to feeling cohesive and locked in as a band, so the endless hours of tick tick tick really pay off in the studio.
For those true Castaway fans, you might pick out a widely infamous instrument in some of our upcoming work… The elusive triangle.
As Castaway, you guys seem to be very in tune with each other and that comes across not only in your songs, but also in your stage presence. How did Castaway come to be; how did you know that the five of you would all fit perfectly together?
Castaway: We found each other in our first year at the University of Canterbury. We all went to Rochester and Rutherford hall of residence and ended up in the same building, “Wilson House”. Not long after someone brought a guitar out, we all started jamming together and our drunken nights of yelling “Wilson!” down the hall corridors lead to the formation of Castaway. We mostly played for fun at a few university society events for the first couple years but we each grew to find this hobby becoming a real passion. Castaway’s formation was never a conscious decision, it just naturally fell into place through a combination of sheer luck, a supportive community of mates, and a love for playing music together.
A real turning point for us was when Jackson was looking online for some vocal lessons and discovered Sacha Vee at the SOLE Music Academy. Soon enough, we all started going to SOLE for music lessons and artist development courses. Sacha has been a huge supporter of our band and helped nurture our artistry into what we have today.
How amazing do the lads look with their makeup though? I, a female, can’t even rock makeup like this! Photo provided by Castaway from their EPK.
What does a standard day in Castaway look like?
Castaway: If we are talking about a weekday:
7 am: Triple S.
7.30 am: Gym.
8 am: Loud smoothie making in the kitchen - thanks Jack.
8.30 am: Get to work (sigh).
9 - 5: Live the dream one nightmare at a time.
6 pm: Get home, if on dinner - cook, if Austen on dinner - marvel at the culinary wizardry of the man.
6:30 - 9 pm: Music mahi.
9:01 pm: Cuppa tea.
9:05 pm: TV show of your selection.
10 pm: Sleep and do it all again.
As far as the weekend goes:
10 am: Get up.
11 am: Coffee + food.
12 pm: Chat the smack and chew the fat in the lounge with boys & co.
1 pm: Musical muck around.
4 - 9 pm: Self entertainment. High likelihood of a nap.
10 pm: Get ready for the gig, makeup for select gentlemen.
11 pm: Pack the Castawagon.
11.15 pm: Shot (None for sober driver).
11.20 pm: Leave for gig.
12 am: Start the show.
1 am: Get me a red bull.
2 am: Settle the punters down, finish strong.
3 am: Let’s go home.
4 am: McDonalds.
4:30 am: Bed.
You've all finished your respective studies and are now out into the world with jobs other than music. How do you ensure that you are able to find the time to still make music together?
Castaway: It feels like it was only moments ago that we were hanging out in the halls together but here we are now all working full time. It certainly makes practise and band meetings more challenging not having the flexibility of the uni schedule, but it almost feels like we’re still in the halls as we’ve been flatting together for the last two years. Granted, there are less people complaining about us playing music late at night now (sorry to the management team at R+R hall, please forgive us!).
Living as a unit makes organising practise and meetings a lot easier as we often chat over dinner, or knock on each other’s doors and say ‘hey bro, get your guitar and get in the garage, it’s jamming time!’. It still does require a good routine and we have practise/meetings booked out every Monday and Thursday. We tend to divide and conquer most of the jobs and just make time for these throughout the week around the rest of our lives. Sometimes it can be challenging committing so much time and energy to the band, but we need only remember why we do it - to make music for all you wonderful people!
They may be always busy bees, but they’ve incorporated having fun into their routine, as shown here. Photo provided from Castaway’s EPK.
Over on your Instagram, you've started a little series called Aotearoa's Finest, which is where you cover other NZ music (and do a damn fine job in the process). What inspired you to do this and are there any artists in particular that you would choose to collaborate with in the NZ music scene if you had the opportunity to?
Castaway: Our formation in Ōtautahi/Christchurch meant we were heavily influenced by local acts such as The Butlers and Mako Road in the formative years of the band, and have always looked up to these guys as legends. On one of our very first gigs we opened for The Butlers at the New Brighton hall and it was such an awe-inspiring moment seeing these guys only a few years older than ourselves doing the real life thing, and doing it well! Our early influences is something we haven’t forgotten even if we have moved away from our earlier sound. We wanted to pay tribute to those people who have inspired us and spread the awesome kiwi music that just keeps coming. What better way than to make some covers of some great local tunes.
If there was one artist in the NZ music scene that we could collaborate with it would undoubtedly have to be L.A.B. - true kiwi legends! We LOVE their music and the fun energy they have on stage. They’re so tight as musicians and write such catchy but still creative songs. To spend an evening jamming in the garage and sharing some beers with them would make us a bunch of very happy lads. Maybe one day we’ll get there, we could have never imagined getting to where we are now, so anything is possible!
What fascinates me personally about Castaway is that everybody gets to kind of rotate around, someone will be playing one instrument for one song or someone else singing and then the next everyone has switched and is playing a different instrument, or the singer has changed. It keeps it quite enticing and adds an extra element of surprise for newbies who may have never seen you live before or heard your music. Had this always been something you'd wanted to do as a band, to keep it fresh, or did it somehow accidentally happen like this one day and you went from there?
Castaway: It’s become intentional as a performance element, but it started out from our naturally collaborative style - we’re really passionate about sharing the spotlight, and letting everyone express themselves in as many ways as they can. As multi-instrumentalists, this meant that it was important for us that everyone got to express their different musical characters on stage. Austen plays the guitar differently to Rhys, who drums differently to Joe, who sings differently to Jackson, who plays keys differently to Jack. Giving ourselves the freedom to explore all those combinations keeps it fun and authentic for both us and the audience.
When it’s studio time, it’s a bit more like playing in a World Cup Final - everyone locks into their positions. For recording our songs, we play our primary instruments. That being said, it’s pretty cool recording a part knowing that someone else will play it live. It’s like saying, “here you go bro, I got it for now, then it’s all yours”!
Back in the good ole days of 2021, not too long before their Chaos and Order EP release show. Photo provided by Castaway’s Instagram.
For those who have not heard of Castaway, how would you describe your music to them?
Castaway: Imagine that The Killers and Coldplay raised 5 children. The boys grew up arguing at length about which type of rock is best, even dabbling in grunge (we don’t talk about that song though, do we Austen?), before landing harmoniously on a high-energy, youthful combination of pop and rock.
Like us Castaway boys, our music is fun-loving, high energy, and full of stories about love and failure. We aim to write songs that are perfect for singing along, jumping up and down, and listening to late at night with just your thoughts and the stars.
To add on to the previous question, what kind of fun facts/interesting things can you tell us that maybe a lot of people don't know about you?
Castaway: We’ll give you two truths and a lie:
We all live together in peace and tranquillity.
We used to have a female lead singer.
One of our members has webbed feet.
OG Castaway fans who have been coming out for years may know the answer. Those who don’t - you may have to do some deep digging on our Instagram (classic musician plug!)
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Thank you so much to the Castaway legends for allowing me to interview them and for the wonderful answers.
To check out more of Castaway, make sure you follow along with them through their links below -