West Coast VIbe with european drive
Inspired by late 90s and early 00s pop punk music, Victory Kid takes root in bands such as Sum 41, Blink-182, Goldfinger, Green Day, Sublime and many more. After a year of development, we were lucky enough to find the capable wizard Allan Hessler to man the helm of our debut record Discernation. As a record, this was a slightly different because Harrison wrote most of these songs before he met the band. This put it in a slightly different vein, writing band music before he had even met the guys that would change his life.
With the help of Carlo, Nathan, Cuni and Allan, a record was creative with admittedly vast styles and influences, but with a unified sound and identity.
Allan was exactly what Victory Kid needed. From his tenure as the engineer for John Feldmann, Allan brought bonified professionalism to the recording that made it sound polished and raw at the same time. His work bringing Story Of The Year into the mainstream, as well as recording bands like The Used, Goldfinger, Avenged Sevenfold, and many more, translated into a heritage of sound that was exactly what Victory Kid craved. In the 18 months of production, they grew from the experiences with Allan that helped shaped them as musicians and took it to the streets.
For Catalyst, our heroes turned to the guidance of Michael Pepe. Having his own journey of working with Taking Back Sunday, Silverstein, and As It Is, Mike found his way to a room in Barefoot Studios, where he befriended and was mentored by Eric Valentine (Good Charlotte, Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth, The All-American Rejects). There he developed his sound, as well as his love for UTA gear, and grew into a prominent producer in LA. Having experience with Allan under our belts, Victory Kid decided on a new approach. The most important sonic aspect of a punk record are the drums. Why not go to the best studio in the world? Mike said Capitol Studio B, and away we went.
Recording on the legendary Masters of Maple behemouth drum kit, legacy filled the air during tracking. After finishing drums and an acoustic song, the crew headed over to Mike's new room at the new studio Fab Factory. There, guitars sang, vocals cut, and a mix was born.
17 songs made it to the final record, each building on the last. Weaving ska, reggae, punk, rock, alternative and even disco, Catalyst is a monumental achievement for the band. The lyrics are more introspective, examining Harrison's inner turmoil of mental health issues as he faced not only his own pitfalls but the worlds. As sophomore records tend to be the most challenging, the band shows resilience and growth as the put out a record that continues to climb in a never ending journey towards unachievable perfection.
