Reetoxa’s newest track, “Humbug”, is a rock-fueled ride through the beautiful mess of modern dating, set to a sound that could have easily emerged from the loud, raucous ‘70s. The song structure is built from an accidental slip on the guitar, so it has an authenticity and spontaneity that reminds us that some of the best music can come out of our most trying mistakes.
The lyrics come from Reetoxa frontman and writer Jason McKee’s own journey through heartbreak from unrequited love. When he met a fellow musician at a rehearsal studio, he developed a crush on her, but his fuzzy memories and a hint of nostalgia shine through the lyrics, which convey bittersweet longing and hope. It's this process of taking a very raw story of vulnerability and turning it into the column of the song that makes the song shine.
Guitarist James Ryan takes McKee's already sweet riff and launches it into the cosmos, sending it soaring to "Saturn and Mars" before it crashes back down to earth and comes back together with the thumping drums and tight bass playing of the rhythm section. It's the type of song that should be first heard live, or blasted loudly, rawly, and emotionally through good headphones.