What ever happened to that compilation Catalyst was putting out?

It’s coming, as are some other releases that were pushed back, give me a fe minutes and I’ll explain more.

First of all it’s important to know that Catalyst is a purely DIY label, it has always been and remains a labor of love for me, shared by a few people who help me out from time to time (for this project Sal Fuentes was a huge help). The whole of Catalyst Records is usually four people at most – myself (Kurt), a friend to help carry some duties (in 2017 and 2018 this was Sal), and two printer/ shippers (one in the US and one in Europe). Aa lot depends on how much time and energy I have to devote to the label, and how much help I can get from others.

All in all, 2018 was a good year for the label and we had some great releases and momentum built up – we were, and are, very proud of the work we did with both Wake of Humanity and ClearxCut, and the next big move was to get the compilation out, finally.

And then 2019 hit, and it has been a tough year for me personally. I had some huge life changing events, the biggest was having a new son who was born in 2018. There were, and are, some unexpected medical expenses that we are still paying off for a surgery when he was 6 months old. I’ll admit I also often try to just do too much.

But the biggest obstacle was that I encountered some things that affected me emotionally to an extent where I decided I needed to take a few steps back, for the sake of my own mental health. In the last few years I’ve tried to come to terms with how important self-care is, and realize that there are times when it is necessary to take a break from parts of your life – even ones that you may love – for self-preservation. I was feeling stressed, pressured, heartbroken, depressed, demoralized, and stretched too thin. I needed a shift in priorities, and I had to admit to myself that I didn’t have the energy at the time to devote to the label like I had in the past year.

Needless to say, this all happened right when we were nearing completion of The Final War compilation LP.
With that in mind, I’d like to say a few more things:

1. My apologies to the bands who have contributed and put your trust in us.
I want you to know that we love the songs you’ve contributed and the line up of the release is one we’re very proud of. I know you haven’t heard from us much recently, but I’ve spent the last couple of weeks getting things back on track in the limited time I have. Just a couple more small pieces to wrap up and we’ll be getting things rolling.

2. Big thanks to the people who continually support the label and what it stands for.
As always. This is so important to me on a personal level. We still have plenty of ideas and plans for the future, and I hope Catalyst remains as a voice for people in the hardcore scene who care about the deeper aspects of what this all means. None of it would be possible without what you give back.

3. The Final War:
As I said previously, we’re about 90% done and moving towards kicking the pre-orders off. We’re in the process of finalizing the booklets, sleeve design (both featuring awesome work by Staffan), and the paired shirt design for the pre-order packages as soon as we can. Look for all of that to be available on the Catalyst site in the very near future.

4. Most importantly:
Remember to take care of yourself. Your mental health, and emotional progression as a human, this is one of the most important struggles each of us will face. If we don’t take the time and spend the energy to keep moving ourselves forward it will invariably sabotage all of our other efforts. Take the time, you’re worth it. Unfortunately, this is something that is often missing in our experiences in the hardcore scene, which can have a tendency to be outward facing while sometimes neglecting the inner struggles we all face. Let’s change that.

Love and respect.
Kurt
xvx