Melbourne’s unique rock artist, ReeToxA, also known as Jason McKee, throws a powerful emotive punch with his new single, “Bobbie,” a corresponding body blow off his LP, “Pines Salad.” As raw as it is thoughtful, as undeniably human as it is packed with bittersweet narrative, “Bobbie” is a memoir of grief, redemption, and the fragile beauty of memory.
“Bobbie,” produced by Australian heavyweight Simon Moro and backed by a world-class line-up of players that includes Kit Riley on bass (Michael Bublé & Savage Garden), James Ryan on guitar (King Canyon), and Peter Marin on drums (Jet), brings an immaculately produced, heart-wrenching rock sound to fans old and new. Below roaring guitars and thundering drums is an unspoken storm of grief, an achy ode to ReeToxA’s late mother, whose absence tingles at every chord.
The accompanying music video, continually directed by Josh Rockman, is an independent gem, standing as far above its budget as the song itself. Filmed on a brooding afternoon at Kerferd Rd Pier in Albert Park, it follows ReeToxA as he scans the skies and his soul for any sign from the woman he never had a chance to say goodbye to in the flesh, swinging on the inside. The raw honesty on display is truly capturing, particularly when juxtaposed with scratchy, 1980s home footage of his mother, introducing a profoundly human aspect that cuts through clichéd rock grandeur.
As crew members wrangled to catch a symbolic bird in flight, which the team thought could connect the theme of release and connection in the track, one finally stretched into the air at the last moment, and a real one was flying out of the water. No CGI. No planning. Just raw serendipity. It’s the moment you can’t script, but one that captures the spirit of honesty, spontaneous, and dripping with meaning.
“Bobbie” already connects with more than 10,000 likes on TikTok and Instagram. It’s the sound that makes people pay attention and breaks some hearts. ReeToxA is bearing his soul and, in doing so, setting the stage for something more. With “Bobbie” as his anchor, this man is not making an album so much as he’s making his way toward something larger toward catharsis, connection, and maybe healing.
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