Sometimes the heaviest punches come wrapped in velvet gloves. Reetoxa – Jason McKee‘s solo project – just dropped “Avocet Court”. This isn’t the regular raucous, guitar-screaming barnburner. Nope. It’s a slow-burn, deeply personal ballad that cuts deep with emotional honesty and minimalist brilliance.
Coming from Carrum Downs, Victoria, and now working out of Sydney, McKee pours his lived experience straight into this song’s DNA. “Avocet Court” isn’t fiction – it’s pure autobiography. The track’s inspired by an actual street in his hometown and was born from a time when he felt completely trapped. Trouble at home, trouble at school, and the crushing weight of what everyone expected him to be versus his artistic dreams – the song captures that desperate need to just run. McKee admits he wanted to bolt interstate, but his courage failed him. That tension? That suffocating feeling of being stuck somewhere that doesn’t fit? Yeah, that.
McKee’s voice is the secret weapon. He sings in a calm, grown-up tone. No fake drama here, just deep thoughts and this profound need for some peace. His words flow like he’s telling you a story over coffee. When he drops that line about packing bags in silence but never leaving – man, it touches. That’s what this whole thing’s about: feeling stuck, whether it’s your family, your town, or just the mind-numbing sameness of the suburbs. The song’s not pissed off; it’s exhausted, worn down, with this constant ache humming away like that old fridge in your mom’s kitchen.
“Avocet Court” absolutely kills it by leaning into its contradictions. It hurts like hell, but somehow wraps you in this weird comfort. The track grieves what could’ve been while discovering real power in that pause – you know, that sweet spot where dreams and doubt hang out together. For McKee, music becomes the getaway he couldn’t physically pull off. That’s what makes Reetoxa so damn good: nailing emotional weight without overdoing it, spinning nostalgia, vulnerability, and this subtle freedom into an alt-rock vibe that hits way harder than any screaming match ever could.
Don’t let the quiet fool you – “Avocet Court” is the main deal. Reetoxa (Jason McKee) shows us that rock’s soul isn’t measured in volume knobs, but in the honesty it serves up. We’re talking about a gorgeously stripped-down, brutally real track that bottles up that universal ache with serious restraint. It’s hands-down the most introspective banger on Pines Salad – like getting a bear hug that won’t let go. If you dig rock that actually means something, you need this in your ears.