The healing of the (KATASTRO) nation

“Good Time”, the highly anticipated single from Katastro, dropped today and features Jared Watson and Duddy B, using vocals Andy Chaves recorded at the Dirty Heads studio in Orange County just days before his untimely death on May 12th last year. The first music of any kind released by Katastro since Sucker in 2021, the eerily upbeat, and compulsively repeatable “Good Time” is a part of Andy we all still need, and will always need. 

The single reminds us of a principle Andy lived his life by:

“It’s this expression of, like, you really don’t need anything to live a good life and have a good time, all you need is the people that you love around you and the simple things”

explains drummer Andrew Stravers, or “Stravs” as he’s affectionately known. Whether you were a fan or a friend, this song offers not only this simple reminder, but allows space to process the grief many still carry. 

The punchy single couldn’t have come at a better moment, and not a minute too soon. Stravs told Top Shelf in a recent interview, “I know it took us awhile, but we needed to take time to heal ourselves, make sure we do this the right way when the time is right. I feel that because we waited longer it’s going to be even more special.”

Recording was no easy feat for the remaining three members including Stravs, bassist Ryan Weddle, and guitarist Tanner Riccio. “I think the first sessions that we ever did as a band, collectively, like literally doing anything, was three months after Andy passed. That was when we went to Matt Keller’s house in Miami, AZ.”, he recounts. 

Keller is a longtime collaborator, producer, and mixer for Katastro and according to Stravs, “Because we’re such good friends with Matt and because he’s who we worked with on the past five or six albums, we knew he would be the right person to go to to open everything up and help us mentally sort through what the hell was going on”. Taking inventory of Andy’s vocals was “like tearing open the wound, but in order to heal, you gotta get in there”. 

When asked what he hopes “Good Time” will bring to Katastro fans, Stravs says, “I think if it brings them the amount of healing that it’s brought me just to be able to work on it, it’s done its job… for people to hear Andy’s voice again for the first time in this light, since everything that’s happened, will be very healing and uplifting for people that are fans of our band and miss Andy.

“The music coming out of this is the light at the end of the tunnel. The grass is growing, the sun is coming out, everyone is smiling and healing together. For me, this music is a representation of that. 

“The least we can do is give back to everyone that’s been there for us since this happened. Our fans have rallied behind us to the point that it is just overwhelming to see how much love and support they’ve given us. Me and Ryan and Tanner are just so amped to give that back to the fans because they deserve it and they need to heal too. That is the only goal with the new music for me personally, I hope it just helps people and it can make their life better by listening to our music.”

The next question on everyone’s minds: is there more where “Good Time” comes from? The band isn’t saying too much too soon, but have confirmed that, yes, they have more vocals from Andy. Yes, there are more singles featuring close friends Iration and The Maine, with whom Katastro went to middle school.

And finally, yes, there is an album confirmed for 2024 release. 

Stream “Good Time” HERE and buy Katastro merch HERE. 

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