Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Castaway
Hi, I’m Austen from the band Castaway. We are a five piece pop rock band from Christchurch New Zealand and I play bass in the band.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
The earliest memory I have of music is my mum putting on ABBA Gold in the living room and being captivated by the beautiful melodies and fun catchy pop grooves. I recall dancing around the living room with her and laughing. This album became very formative for my music taste and appreciation for pop.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
My passion for creating music began when I was 12 and spending time with a friend who could play guitar. I remember watching him play and thinking that it was so incredible he could create those sounds from an inaminate object. I soon picked up the guitar and fell in love with the art of playing and the craft of creating.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Our most recent release, Nondual, was born from growing from university students into serious musicians. It captures the formative years of transitioning from adolescence into adulthood and explores a range of relationships that we had during that time, from love, grief, longing and connection. We began working on this project in 2022 and release the final tracks in 2025.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
We fall into the pop-rock genre, reminiscent of 5SOS, Coldplay, and The Killers.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
As a musician, it’s easy to get caught up in the small details of the song and forget to look at the bigger picture. When your audience listens, they are listening to the song as a whole – it’s vibe. What matters most when creating a piece of work is that the vibe you are going for is strong and you capture that. This changed how I approached writing songs as it made me really focus in on the bigger picture.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
For me, it’s essential that I have a piano to write with. I find this instrument incredibly inspiring to write with as it can cover harmony, melody, and rhythm really well. It also feels intuitive to my style of songwriting. It’s also essential that I have Reaper, the digitial audio workstation I use to write and record with.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I’ve been really enjoying Spacey Jane’s latest album “It That Makes Sense”. They’re an australian indie rock band who have been making a stamp on the australasian music scene the last few years.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
As a band, we have always tried to incorporate our personal experiences into our music – whether entire songs are taken from a literal experience, or an idea is influenced by our own experiences. The song “Daisy” came from our own personal experiences with grief and loss, and it was inspired by the passing of our lead guitarist’s grandmother.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
We hope that people find themselves in our music, and they connect with the themes of love, grief and longing. We want people to see that the human condition is a universal experience and they are heard and recognised in their own individual experiences.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
It’s taught me that music is language of emotion. It is what we need to connect with our emotions like no other language can capture. It is an escape, a guest, an old friend. I have come to realise that you would struggle to find someone on the planet who doesn’t like some type of music – it is the universal connector.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
It would be incredible to play at the Royal Albert Hall in the UK. It has had so many incredible acts grace its stage that it would be real privilege to play.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
I would like to collaborate with Elton John. He has always been a huge inspiration of mine, and his work is so timeless. I would also want to hear all his stories and countless adventures!
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Spotify | Instagram | Facebook | Linktree |
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
We have just finished recording an album and are in the process of production and then mixing, with an aspirational release of later this year! This is our largest piece of work yet and is really going redefine the sound of Castaway and show people what we can bring.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That at the end of the day, we are five guys from a small country on the bottom of the world who just love making music! We never planned to be musicians, but the twists and turns of life have led us here and we couldn’t be happier.
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