Kathryn & The Overbytes – ‘Hindsight Is 2020’

Words by Steve Kelk | Images Steve Kelk @ Foldback Media NT & Joshua Spring

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Steve Kelk

Darwin Alt-Rock Pop Outfit Launches New EP at Happy Yess

Kathryn and the Overbytes (KATOB) have released their debut EP ‘Hindsight is 2020‘ with a live launch at the Happy Yess on June 25th, the culmination of a lot of hard work through the travails of the 2020-2021 COVID reality.

The theme choice was clearly an easy one to make, relevant to the times. The EP is not all about the pandemic though, and while mostly upbeat, there are some deeply personal issues explored in some tracks. Songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kathryn Ezzy skilfully takes us down divergent paths to produce a work that has something for everyone.

Funny-disturbing is ‘Toilet Paper Riot‘, inspired by the viral video of two women fighting over toilet paper in Australia in March 2020. Kathryn penned most of the lyrics to this song at 2am while sitting on the toilet contemplating the last roll left on the holder. Inspiration, we suppose, is where you find it. The accompanying self-produced music video includes Kathryn, well, at her place of inspiration – check it out here:

‘Friend Like Me‘ is a pop-driven, mixed-emotion view about being ghosted by a friend, being worried about them and cranky with them at the same time – very relatable for many in today’s world, with social media increasingly taking the place of actual human contact and especially in a pandemic context. ‘Coming For You‘ is darker and heavier, a commentary on manipulation and fear-mongering by the powers that be during the pandemic, and the willing hand-over of freedoms in return for a sense (illusion?) of safety.

We wrote of KATOB’s debut single ‘Please Tell Me‘ earlier this year – this track deals with the grey, unspoken area of relationships that are somewhere between friends and lovers, and Ezzy captures the angsty confusion with some slick writing and production.

Kathryn Ezzy at the Darwin Entertainment Centre in 2020

Multi-instrumentalist Ezzy provides a moving solo acoustic piano track last on the EP with ‘Perfect Nightmare‘, which explores a deeply controlling and abusive relationship that appears perfectly normal on the outside. Ezzy skilfully evokes feelings of control, fear, shame, manipulation, dread and desperation – having to be ‘perfect’, being a ‘prize’. A loss of dignity and sense of self, this song comes from a lonely place. ‘Perfect Nightmare‘ shows the true scope of what this artist is capable of and is a sharp turn from the rest of the EP, but one worth following.

The Happy Yess launch of ‘Hindsight is 2020‘ was predictably well-received. KATOB have earned a reputation for professionalism in their live performances with tight, high-energy sets, and their live stuff does justice to their recorded work. Support from Panic Bruss and Danny Wutang and his All Star Band made for a well-rounded night of live music for punters at the iconic venue. Guitarist Tyson Lowe is moving on from the band and the launch served as great send-off for him.

Here are some more images of the night and some punter quotes:

“Well I thought the Danny Wutang band was amazing, it was my first time seeing them live actually. It’s always good to see something new every now and again. Panic Bruss were also good. It was a pretty good night overall though it’s pretty sad to see Tyson go after this gig with you guys.” – unk

“Haha I liked Mitch’s surprise appearance too” – unk

“K&TO’s 2020 is Hindsight EP Launch saw the band sore to new heights as a live act. Front woman Kathryn gave the bass duties to Jarrod for the night, which gave her the freedom to work the stage as lead vocalist and show off her impressive skills as a lead guitarist. This band is rising fast in the NT and we can be sure that we’ll be hearing a lot of them for some time to come!” – Teghan

Kathryn Ezzy writes all the songs for the band (other than ‘Toilet Paper Riot‘, where she got a little help from Corey Rusu). The EP is completely self produced and recorded by Tyson Lowe and Kathryn Ezzy. The EP was mixed by Yarn from MixArtist.com and mastered by Kamal Engels from Art of Audio.

‘Hindsight is 2020‘ is out now – you can check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0EU4BXVrt5snmPp8deizgn?si=yWAFsZ1KRX-WFvsZnzb-dw&dl_branch=1