Castaway, the 5-piece pop-rock Christchurch band released their sophomore 7-track EP Nondual in October 2025. Castaway explores shared intimate experiences amongst bandmates/flatmates, summoning a wide spectrum of inter-connected emotions; elation, loss, discovery.
The cover art, a kiwi backstreet boys faint red silhouette, paints apt triumph, conquest and pride in a warm amphitheatre.
A euphoric, bright chorus is complemented by super snackable verses on Supernova. The atmospheric captivating synth sets the pop tone on this opener. The polished translucent sax on Move On induces a real 80’s Springsteen stadium feel. The background Easter-egg-like percussion pleasantly raises an eyebrow on the following comparably synth heavy, spacey track Pretty Little Liar.
The stanky bassline concretes the foundation of the ballad Daisy, a turbulent ballad of loss with a similarly bright, anthemlike chorus paired with beautiful falsetto in the verse. As we reach the core of Nondual, It’s Not Your Fault you tap your foot to this crisp, captivating, upbeat, rock number, as pace picks up nicely. The music video features the 5 members dressed as comedic farmyard Tellytubbies, illustrating that Castaway don’t take themselves too seriously while Nondual covers contrastingly deeper, more poignant personal struggles. Satellite is a fun penultimate song; dainty guitar work sprinkled across a heartfelt chorus with a grit-kissed bassline tiptoeing effortlessly around the melody.
The bonus track Teihi, a Te Reo Māori version of Daisy, is undoubtedly a nice touch, here we see young men tap into their heritage, however it hits as filler. Perhaps a later separate bonus track release would’ve been tactical to help boost engagement.
Nitpicking their release strategy with a (very) fine comb, the core 6 songs were released as singles over the past 2/3 years. With that, Nondual strikes as a collection of singles versus a traditional EP. Where is the anticipation in regurgitating pre-released material versus new?
Yes, times have changed, with shorter attention spans and an exceedingly competitive music market, release strategies are stretched across wider timelines. More releases = more activity = more engagement = more streams etc. However, not presenting fans with new material on a record seems … anticlimactic. Is the trusty waterfall strategy (releasing a handful of singles ahead of album/EP) truly outdated in 2025? Their debut EP, Chaos & Order, impressively touching on jazz/R&B, featured a teaser single ahead of the EP release in 2021.
There is clear, noteworthy sonic and songwriting development on Nondual. The lads will gracefully rise to the opportunity of supporting the Kiwi Pop giants Six60 in their hometown stadium in May 2026.
