On ReeToxA’s debut album, “Pines Salad,” longtime songwriter behind the moniker Jason McKee steps from behind the curtain with a 14-track aural feast that’s as musically reflective as it is unapologetically now.
From the lead single, “Bobbie,” which he wrote after his mother’s death while serving prison, to the swaggering satire of “Papa Loves Ladyboys,” McKee doesn’t mince words. “Amber” contains his favorite lyric, “feel like a donkey in a thoroughbred show,” which sums up his status as a blunt, truth-telling outsider in a shiny pop world.
“Footscray” and “BPD vs BiPolar” mine the confusion and turmoil of relationships, identity, and recovery. “You” and “Call” pack a dramatic emotional punch and catchy anthemic hooks. Each song offers a chapter from McKee’s life, culled from a deep catalog that spans three decades, forged by teenage angst, adult reckoning, and an unwavering love of songcraft.
Three decades in the making, “Pines Salad” is the sound of McKee’s life, losses, and lyrical left-turns, recorded with some of Australia’s finest musicians, including bassist Kit Riley (Michael Bublé, Savage Garden), guitarist James Ryan (King Canyon), and drummer Peter Marin (Jet). Wrought by heavyweight producer Simon Moro, the album wears its vintage grime-facing front yet still looks as pretty as a picture of contemporary polish.
Referencing a cheeky piece of Frankston slang for a bag of weed, “Pines Salad” is layered and loose. It is a declaration of personal catharsis and a brazen entrance onto the national scene. A tongue-in-cheek title and gut-punch lyrics make ReeToxA’s debut a genre-bending, heart-spilling ride into the mind of an artist who’d finally found his moment.
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