ReeToxA’s debut album Pines Salad comes as a compilation of the greatest hits of 3 decades worth of songwriting experience, and we’re loving it! ‘You’ is a song that takes the sound of the album in a decidedly grunge-driven direction with hints of Britpop readily showing up every now and then.
Based in Australia’s Melbourne, ReeToxA is the musical vessel of singer and songwriter Jason McKee, and his debut Pines Salad is a compilation of songs he has been writing for 30 odd years, with songs like ‘Amber’ dating back all the way to his teenage years. The level of experience comes in the form of carefully planned songs with leagues of personality. The scruffy and edgy nature of ‘You’ is a prime example of McKee’s song-building abilities.
‘You’ moved forward at a moderate pace that is exceedingly solid through a powerful rock beat delivered by Peter Marin and a wealth of thorny and rhythmic overdriven riffs given to us by James Ryan. Kit Riley’s supportive, thumping bass lays quite a solid foundation for the rock-focused and minimal arrangement, and the mixing job done by Simon Moro puts all the elements exactly where they should be for a final product that’s neat, tight, and quite enjoyable.
‘You’ is a part of an album that quite literally represents a lifelong-honed craft of its writer Jason McKee. A solid and polished release like all other releases we’ve heard from McKee so far, ReeToxA and their debut are shaping up to be one of the year’s most important and exciting new names.