Track of the Day: ReeToxA – Bottle (2026)
Creating the soundtrack to life with all the bad and good bits expressed through creative reflection, ReeToxA is the heart, the lung, the foot, the spleen, and the spirit of human existence. The brainchild of Australian singer-songwriter Jason McKee, ReeToxA has enthralled us with his love songs. With ‘The Lisa Song’ we learned about a girl whom he met once and never again. With ‘Love Keeps Burning Still’, he told us about his divorce and a passionate pursuit of music creating ”…something beautiful from heartbreak”. Today, we turn up the speakers, lean back and prepare ourselves for his new single, ‘Bottle’.
Shifting from soothing indie-rock tones in ‘Love Keeps Burning Still’, ‘Bottle’ is a direct plunge back to the 1990s pop-rock world. I found nostalgic memories of Weezer, Green Day and Good Charlotte teetering through the song and into my ears. However, while the single draws on the sounds of yesteryear – quite apt considering it was written in 1995 – there is a timelessness to the track. The intimacy of pop-rock exists, and a contemporary bounce gives it flair. Moreover, its universal theme of mental health will resonate with audiences old and young.
As with his other singles, ReeToxA grabs at a real-life event to inspire his music. Inspired by “a night when McKee and his high school sweetheart, Jody, rushed to help her best friend, Nicole, retrieve medication her parents had locked away, sparking conversations about escaping their difficult circumstances together… ”, ‘Bottle’ is rooted in friendship with a dash of teenage rebellion.
Back in the day, mental health was swept under the carpet, but an enlightening moment to help Nicole made McKee look a little further down that tunnel called mental health, making people take a profound look at stuff that we tend to avoid. Lyrically, ‘Bottle’ is powerful; melodically, ‘Bottle’ is a burst of fun with a forcefulness that isn’t in your face, but you know it’s important.
Produced by Simon Moro, ‘Bottle’ weaves together hard-hitting drums, a soaring guitar, and bold bass beating along the mash of pop-rock. I find myself tapping my toes, bopping along, and almost playing air guitar. The thing is, as sophisticated and elegant as it is, there is still that vulnerability, concern, and fragility that made 90s pop-rock so heartfelt in its rigour. I’m a fan of ReeToxA, and listening to ‘Bottle’, I’m sure I’ll be a fan for some time.
Find out more about ReeToxA on their official website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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