It is a bright, joyful sound from a decade ago: aspiring young artists exploring the infancy of their musical careers.
But three days after Zackariah and the Prophets released ‘Goodnight Icarus’ — their debut album — tragedy cut their dreams short.
Their steadfast drummer, 23-year-old Josh Hunter and talented singer and guitarist, 21-year-old Zackariah Rathwell were two of five university students killed at a Brentwood house party.
“Obviously April is a tough time,” said guitarist Barry Mason. “So, I think we decided to start this project in an effort to think about the good times.”
Mason and Rathwell had been best friends since elementary school and developed a deep bond with Hunter and bass guitarist Kyle Tenove, sharing a drama class in high school.
They started a band.
“We had no plan. We were just in our early 20’s having fun,” said Tenove.
But their upbeat indie-rock music and on-stage chemistry resonated. And the gigs followed.
“We were just four best friends creating music.”
That music has been difficult, at times, to return to for the remaining bandmates. Tenove only ever listened to their songs once a year, around the anniversary of his friends’ deaths.
But the music, created a decade ago was only ever released on CD. And as the 10-year mark approached, Tenove and Mason decided to lean into their recordings, sharing them with a new digital audience.
“It’s kind of feeling like a big step in the healing journey to go like ‘okay, I’m ready to revisit these.’ And we had to — with a microscope — to remaster them,” said Tenove.
They called in the expertise of engineer Tobia Kalden, who worked closely with Tenove and Mason to comb through their original EP.
“It’s just a very sensitive project for us and he treated it with the upmost respect,” said Tenove. “I really appreciate that.”
The album is now available on all streaming platforms as Tenove and Mason carry on successful music careers of their own.
“We still get to play together and we still get to laugh together and that’s really a big part of our healing as well,” said Tenove.
While their bandmates absence is still deeply felt, their legacy lives on in enduring friendships. And their music continues to resonate, with an energetic tune reminding fans and bandmates of the joy that dominated their friends’ lives — rather than the tragedy that ended it.