Castaway on Heart Attack
- Jade McLeod
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Castaway is a band of brothers brought together by their music. Beginning in a Christchurch university flat, this pop-rock band is made up of Austen (bass), Jack (saxophone, keys), Jackson (vocals, keys, guitar), Joe (vocals, drums), and Rhys (guitar). Their new single, Heart Attack, dropped today, and we had the privilege of speaking with Austen about it.
Much of your promo focuses on "bringing back boy bands." With 5 Seconds of Summer started their tour today this label has been heavily debated recently. What does the boy band label mean to you?
“It means a lot of fun. We love playing and laughing together. At the end of the day, my bandmates are my best friends. There’s not enough of that in the world, just enjoying yourself and not taking everything too seriously. It’s always fun seeing a boy band on stage.”
Are there any boy band icons you look up to?
“I’m not sure you’d call them strictly boy bands, but a big influence for us has been bands like Inhaler and the 1975, which differ from traditional boy bands like One Direction or 5 Seconds of Summer. We’ve really enjoyed 5 Seconds of Summer’s recent rebranding. They’re doing great things. Of course, Jonas Brothers as well.”
Each of you has a very distinct style, and as a band, it really works well. So, where do you take that inspiration from?
“A lot of that comes from 80s glam and 90s grunge aesthetic. Lately, we've leaned into a bit of Italian chic. We've been lucky to work with this amazing fashion stylist, Elise Cautley, who's done a fantastic job helping us pull these threads together and get us looking cohesive, but still, each of us has a unique look and style.”
How would you sum up your musical journey, either like, solo before you got into the band, or as the band as a whole as well?
“That's a great question. The majority of my musical journey has been with the band. We all met at the University of Canterbury, where none of us planned to be musicians. We'd all planned to have 9-to-5 white-collar jobs after we finished our degrees, and somewhere along the way, music stood out as our passion and a calling. It's been a big journey over the last eight years, discovering that music is what we're meant to do, figuring out how to make it work, and never giving up. We've played countless shows, constantly tried to understand the music industry, and learned about songwriting. We've been fortunate to have a plethora of incredible mentors and industry figures who've guided us. I suspect we're still in the thick of our musical journey. We're not quite there yet.”
Yeah, that's really interesting. I went to university surrounded by musicians, and I'd love to know what the science behind that is, because I think of Six60, BadTab was our university's band...
“Yeah, it is fascinating, you're so right. Six60 is a perfect example. Honestly, I don't know what it is. There's something special about the university atmosphere that creates a sense of exploration in your own personal identity that maybe isn't afforded elsewhere at that age, 18, 19, 20. I think we just really loved having fun together.”
Do you have any advice for, like, fellow students, whether that's university or high school? So many of our readers and viewers say, "How do I explore this, or how do I get started?" What would you tell them?
“That's a good question. To get started, it really helps to have like-minded people around you, people interested in doing things outside the square. Once you find that community, you just have to persevere and never give up. Keep jamming and playing together, even if you come out of rehearsal thinking it didn't go well or sounded horrible. Just never give up. That would be my advice.”
How is your Kiwi culture shaping your identity as musicians, creatives, or even just, like, how you market yourself going forward?
“It's interesting, because a lot of our sound falls just outside what's mainstream in New Zealand, pop rock isn't necessarily a big part of the market. But where we really shine is in the sense of brotherhood between all five of us. It's that camaraderie and community, which I think is uniquely Kiwi. It's a bit of that number 8 wire mentality: we just tuck in together, make it work, and figure it out with whatever we have.”
NZ radio has a narrow sound. How do you navigate promoting your music on the radio?
“Yeah, it can be tricky. We've been fortunate to have a great relationship with some stations, like ZM and The Hits, where we've become friendly with a few of the presenters. They're big supporters of what we're doing and can see how much we love it. They're keen to see us succeed and do our best. So we've been really lucky in that regard.”
Yeah, I mean, it is changing a little bit, but there's still a long way to go.
“There are so many beautiful sounds and genres of music happening in New Zealand. It would be a shame if they didn't all get some time in the limelight to be heard.”
What's the story behind your new song, Heart Attack?
“We recorded it in June last year. It came from Jackson, who had this incredibly hooky chorus, and we decided it had to be a song. We ended up recording it at the Lab Studios in Auckland with Greg Haver. We're a pop-rock band, and we couldn't be a pop-rock band without some songs about young love. It's the quintessential topic for pop-rock fans. That's where the song came from; it's about the thrill of the night, escapism, getting caught up in the heat of the moment. I hope a lot of our fans feel they can find a bit of themselves somewhere in the song.”
What message do you hope people take away from all of your art?
“I hope that when Heart Attack comes out, people see this as a new era for Castaway. We've got a new sound we've been working on, and we're ready to share it with everyone. I hope they're ready for it.”
I've seen that you guys will be performing at the opening of One New Zealand Stadium. Alongside some pretty big names in this lineup, but who are you really excited to work alongside?
“Oh, the lineup is absolutely stacked. You couldn't have asked for bigger acts out of New Zealand. I'm excited to see Cassie [Henderson], we've played alongside her before, and she's always fantastic, such a high-energy and incredible performer and singer. I haven't seen Kaylee Bell live before, so I'm really looking forward to that. The Six60 and Symphony collaboration is going to be incredible to be part of, and seeing a live orchestra arrangement of some of Six60's biggest hits will be really special and moving. Opening up Christchurch Stadium feels like a landmark after all the troubles and strife the city has been through over the last 15 years. It feels like this is a stamp saying Christchurch is back, and you better watch out for us on the map.”
My first concert in Christchurch was Elton John, and I really remember him saying that he really admired how, despite everything Christchurch had been through, that energy was the same as the last time he'd played in Christchurch, and how he admired how much the city stood together and the country as a whole. Having this new venue in Christchurch, particularly as the main centre for live music in the South Island, how important and monumental is it to actually have another venue?
“It's critical. I think the stadium is really going to become the heart and lifeblood of the city. Being able to have international acts here, not just for music but for sports as well, will help the city flourish, as it has over the last couple of years.”
How do we keep live music accessible for Kiwis when the main places, especially for international acts, are Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch, and a lot of New Zealanders don't live in those cities?
“That's a great question. With the technology we have now, streaming is going to be critical for getting music to the homes of all New Zealanders who aren't in the big cities with the huge stadiums. Live, to-air performances are important too. There's also a responsibility for New Zealanders to get out and support these shows. Sometimes it's not possible to fly to Auckland, especially with the current climate, but even going down to your local bar and watching the Friday band helps. You never know who they're going to be because that was us for a long time.”
How do you stay connected to your fans in this new digital age of music marketing?
“A big part of that is understanding that when we post on social media, it might seem like we're sharing content with a group, but for our fans, it's just them and their phone; we're talking straight to them. It's important to remember that social media allows us to connect directly with our fans in a way that's never been possible in music before. We always try to talk to them as much as possible online, and when we see them at shows, we laugh, talk, and say hello. We've got a few who come to a lot of our shows, and it always gets us excited to see them again and find out how they're going and what they've been up to.”
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