Reetoxa, the artistic project of Melbourne singer-songwriter Jason Mckee, turns intensely personal experiences into music that feels larger than autobiography. Double A Side 2 (Akaroa / Erica And The Stars) brings together two songs born from vastly difficult periods in Mckee’s life, yet neither track gets trapped in its own history. The EP transforms memory, grief, confusion, and recovery into something melodic and deeply human.
“Akaroa” opens with catchy beats and bright, strumming guitars, immediately giving the release an engaging and vibrant energy. Mckee’s melodious voice carries the song with tenderness, balancing its upbeat musical character against a story rooted in grief and an extraordinary dream. The song first came to him during a difficult period in prison, following the death of his mother, when the name Akaroa appeared in a vivid dream. Years later, while visiting the New Zealand town of the same name, the melody returned to him, prompting him to finally complete the song. There is something almost cinematic about that journey, as though a fragment of a forgotten song had been waiting years for the right place to reappear.
“Erica And The Stars” takes a more introspective turn. Heavy, deep strings surround Mckee’s reflective vocal, while thumping beats give the arrangement a steady pulse. Written during another profound personal crisis, the song became a means of finding focus and escape through creativity. Its defining feature is the Budapest Orchestra, recorded to recreate the orchestral music Mckee imagined while writing it.
At the end of the day, Double A Side 2 is compelling because its two songs transform painful memories into something luminous. Reetoxa documents difficult chapters and reshapes them into music that can carry hope long after the circumstances that inspired it have passed.
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Review by: Naomi Joan