“16 Walls” was written during a particularly suffocating period for Katsaras, who felt “caught in a vortex” in his endless cycle of working, drinking, and watching music at the same venue in Townsville. The chorus’ lyrics, “And I found what’s there/Through deep brown hair”, refer to a relationship he entered during this time, offering him a renewed sense of liberation with something fresh and exciting. These correlating feelings of entrapment and freedom seep into the song both lyrically and sonically, introducing a personal and intimate element to the otherwise abstract lyrics, implying that this human connection has been a key part of Katsaras’ experience. 

The track opens with an upbeat, repetitive chord progression, a back-and-forth bassline, and a classically uncomplicated rock beat in 4/4 timing, the groove maintained by a routine pattern of kick, snare, and hi-hat. The instrumentation comes across as deliberately straightforward - the repeating riff acts as a reference to “the repetitive nature of life” at the time the song was written. Katsaras’ vocals are emotionally subdued in the verses, a steady monotonous pitch tinted by the subtly pained twangs of a South Australian accent, reminding me of Bindi McCallum’s vocals for Adelaide “emotional dolewave” trio Kurralta Park. The choruses introduce a heightened atmosphere of emotional release, with distorted guitars and snappy drum fills providing a deepened backdrop for the vocals. 

Following the first chorus is a brief guitar solo, largely packed with short slides up the neck and repetitive notes extended by vibrato. To accompany the solo is a fizzing buildup of static noise that increases in intensity before cutting to silence as the second verse begins. Rather than inserting noise to the mix arbitrarily, this part services the track by 1) creating the imagery of hissing steam or boiling water, connecting to Katsaras’ rising feeling of suffocation, and 2) by building tension in the mix that subsides to restore the lush, comforting warmth of the verses. 

Lyrically, one picks up on an air of disorientation between the lines of “16 Walls”. The opening lyric, “I’m in 16 walls, can’t feel the air”,  introduces these themes immediately,  establishing this feeling of confinement, perhaps both physically and mentally. When considering the imagery of sixteen walls, I tend to picture either an enclosed labyrinth of corridors and hallways or, more emblematically, four rooms infolded within each other, like the replicating layers of an onion. “I’m in deep enough, it must be real” denotes the narrator’s acknowledgement and acceptance of their estrangement from the reality that exists beyond their reach and the walls themselves. 

There are some more little treasures to be found amid the composition of “16 Walls”, such as the wholesome “oh oos” that accompany Katsaras’ vocals during the verses, or the delicate acoustic guitar melody before the final chorus. The second guitar solo during the track’s closing moments is more sporadic than its predecessor, fuelled by wailing, screeching lead tones with soaring bends and slides, sonically embodying Katsaras’ exasperated release of the emotions that led to the writing of this song. 

In addition to his subsequent travels, moving from Adelaide to Townsville in early 2023 was a “big culture shock” for Katsaras. He didn’t often find himself amidst a cultural melting pot of artists and musicians such as our own thriving community here in Adelaide. In fact, it was his connection to friends and peers down here that spurred him to continue releasing music and playing shows with a band formed in Queensland. Later in 2024, he plans to return to his hometown and re-establish an Adelaide-based iteration of Hard Rubbish: 

“The biggest thing [for me] is to keep the fire alive.”