EP Review/ Indie Rock : ReeToxA’s ‘Double A Side 2 - Akaroa/ Erica and The Stars’

ReeToxA is a hard rock band who go with the wind. Stylistic boundaries are one thing. However, for this band, it’s just a starting point. In so many of their releases, you see them blow through these limitations with sheer energy and will to play. They have truly been a force to be reckoned with, especially across their album ‘SOLILOQUY’. A collection where they do it all and excel at it. Their latest release is the ‘Double A Side 2 - Akaroa/ Erica and The Stars’ EP, following their ‘Double A Side - Strong/ Truce’ EP release in late August. 

While the Strong/ Truce EP is bolstered with a powerful rock atmosphere, this latest Akaroa/ Erica and The Stars EP cater to the softer plane of rock. There’s a lot of melodic and sentimental swirls that beautifully allow the rock features to blend into neoclassicals and synths. It’s not about building up the energy but more about revelling in it and expanding it. 

‘Akaroa’ introduces the EP. It has a ruminative resonance. Folk rock meets classic rock, with a mellow electric spark. The grooves are crisp and clear, looping into the melodic magic of the track. With the vocals being measured and contemplative in its own space, the track gains such a memorable and reflective ambience. It feels intimate and vulnerable. Revealing moments that take the listener through a love that is not concealed and is so certain that everyone knows. The chorus is such a beautiful lift, with a brief revving of riffs, they lift it up meaningfully. Taking it as leave to dive deeper into the soul rock space. 

Following this musical mood is ‘Erica and The Stars’. This one is a magical orb of music. The band starts at an intimate space and then drives deep down to a softness that they then explore. It’s full of pure and simple moments. Teeming with colorful synths, sparkles of melody and ethereal vines, the song brims and outpours into your life. It really does feel like that. The neoclassicals further adds a layer of vulnerability to the song. With vocals that are disarmed and able to convey the magic of it all, of creating a world away from the real world. Even while melancholic about not being able to cross over. It’s such a weaved complexity that it makes you think and feel it in the context of your worlds. The EP also has the karaoke versions of these tracks, made for moments that make you want to sing along and create your own interpretations of the songs and their themes.

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The EP is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘Double A Side 2 - Akaroa/ Erica and The Stars’ by ReeToxA here -