What does it mean to be “the most put-together group in Minneapolis,” as various admirers have called Catalyst? It boils down to the top-to-bottom dedication that members Matt Seiler and Scottie Stankiewicz have to their music, fine-tuning a melting pot of a sound that mixes hip-hop, punk, and more with dense lyricism complemented by emphatic choruses. That dedication extends to the presentation of that sound, as Catalyst consistently deliver a high-energy live show where they leave everything they have onstage.

Seiler and Stankiewicz first united as musicians while attending high school together in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and their bond has strengthened over time as they’ve grown accustomed to each other’s individual styles and creative processes. After showcasing their sheer rapping skills on their Agape EP, Catalyst’s progression as a unit now has more to do with the ways that Seiler and Stankiewicz grow off of each other than on genre boxes -- “I don’t think we’re just hip-hop,” Stankiewicz says. They have a yin and yang that propels their songs forward; Seiler sees Stankiewicz as “quiet, intellectual, book smart,” while Stankiewicz says of Seiler, “I grow from his style, his speed, his cadences.”

That chemistry fueled Catalyst’s debut album, 2015’s The Activation, recorded by engineer Eric Blomquist at RiverRock Studios in Minneapolis. In scientific terms, the album’s title refers to the starting phase in a chemical reaction, the very instant that one chemical gets introduced to a new chemical. Musically, that (ideally) translates to the spark of a sense of enlightenment in those who hear their music. The album thrives with its focus on the need to bring about new ideas in a society shaped by outdated belief systems and thought processes, and it’s rooted in a strong emotional core. “When I write verses, they fuck me up,” Stankiewicz says. “It’s shit I need to get out, and once I get it out, then I can move past that.” 

It’s a fully formed album with a definite start and finish that lets you go as deep as you want with it. That might just mean latching on to the hooks, admiring Seiler and Stankiewicz’s bars, or, more rewardingly, absorbing the lyrical themes. Twin Cities-area guests like Omie tha Homie, Camille Mccalister, North Star Wisdom, and Alex Santi add melodic dimension and lyrical perspective of their own, while the beats from Jared “Jurd” Love, Sean Divine, Ado the God, and others provide a vast, dynamic backdrop of sounds.

In the time since The Activation’s release, Seiler and Stankiewicz have worked to further develop their songwriting and cement their status as a reliable presence in the Twin Cities concert scene and beyond. As of early 2016, they’re part-way through the writing of the sequel to The Activation, an expansion on the first album’s punk side called Mirrors on the Moon, which will be followed by a third part titled Soulice. Their run as live performers has also continued, including a residency at Minneapolis venue Honey in March 2016. It all makes for a promising trajectory for a group that could make any number of moves going forward. 

- Mike Madden

Contact - Catalystmpls@gmail.com

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