To listen to Nat Hathaway‘s new album Catrina, Go is to cruise down a coastal highway to a sunlit world of heart-bursting soft-rock and bittersweet soul. Fastidiously crafted using vintage gear / recording techniques in homage to the ’70s records he loves, yet sporting a lightness of touch and easygoing charm, Catrina, Go is more than a one man spotlight, featuring contributions from fellow instrumental maestros Tom Broome, Joe Kaptein, and Ben Frater. Endearingly catchy from top to tail, the album’s richly detailed, piano-led sonic settings and introspective musings draw parallels with The Beach Boys, the Yacht Rock canon, deeper cut mavericks like Chris Rainbow and Lee Ritenour, and more contemporary touchstones like Tame Impala.
Hathaway’s vocal powers are the true star of the show, ascending like a helium balloon as he bashfully observes “You think it’s funny that I’m so in love with you” in too-short interlude ‘You Think It’s Funny’ — he’s leaving hits on the table here! There’s diversity on display too, ‘Patly’s Yacht’ tips the hat to space-disco, jazz-funk and prog-rock in under five mins, while the piano intro for the yearning title track is a sample producer’s gift.
Emerging just ahead of summer in sync with Tāmaki Makaurau’s sudden CRL glow-up, the smart move is to catch the songwriter / multi-instrumentalist toasting the launch of Catrina, Go this Saturday at Ponsonby Social Club. He’ll be playing with bandmates Andrew Isdale, Wil Goodinson and Timothee Nolier, plus special guest opener Evie Bamford…
“I approached this record with the goal of making it sound as authentic as possible, drawing from the records I love from the 70s. All of the rhythm tracks were recorded live, with no samples, capturing that sense of human performance and imperfections that makes those records feel so alive.” – Nat Hathaway
Nat Hathaway – ‘Catrina, Go’ Album Release
with special guest Evie Bamford
Saturday 26th September – Ponsonby Social Club, Auckland
Tickets on sale HERE via UTR
