There’s something rare happening in independent music right now, and it’s coming out of Melbourne. Soliloquy, the ambitious new double album from ReetoxA, isn’t just a collection of songs. It’s a full-bodied, emotionally volatile experience that feels closer to a confession than a conventional release.
Written and compiled during the isolating haze of the COVID era, Soliloquy captures the kind of intensity that only comes from being alone with your thoughts for too long, and daring to document them anyway.
At the center of it all is Jason McKee, lead singer, composer, and lyricist, whose relationship with this project stretches back decades. The name “Soliloquy” itself dates to 1997, when a 17-year-old McKee, inspired by Shakespeare via his English teacher, imagined a new creative identity that could hold the weight of his songwriting ambitions. Life, as it tends to do, interrupted. But the idea never left.
Fast forward to a chance moment at a live show, an encounter that reignited everything. Faced with the realization that he had no finished work to share, McKee made a radical decision: leave university behind and fully commit to the music. It was a pivot that would eventually lead him to collaborator and producer Simon Moro, whose sonic fingerprints shape the album from start to finish.
Then came the pandemic.
What was supposed to be a straightforward recording process turned into something far more consuming. Locked down in Melbourne, McKee didn’t just revisit old material, he dismantled and rebuilt it. Fueled by insomnia, cigarettes, and relentless introspection, he spiraled deep into his catalog and psyche, writing with a kind of urgency that blurred the line between creation and collapse. The process became so intense it ultimately landed him in the hospital for six weeks.
And somehow, that chaos is exactly what gives Soliloquy its power.
The album doesn’t play like a playlist, it unfolds like a narrative. It asks for your attention, your patience, your emotional investment. This is music designed for headphones, late nights, and uninterrupted listening. It’s a throwback to the era when albums weren’t background noise, they were events.
Musically, the project is just as expansive as its story. Contributions from a lineup of seasoned players, including Kit Riley (known for work with Robbie Williams and Savage Garden), Peter Marin (Jet), James Ryan (Men at Work), Jessica McPherson-Riley, and Terry Hart—add depth and texture throughout. And on six standout tracks, a Budapest-based orchestra elevates the sound into something cinematic, almost overwhelming in its scale.
But make no mistake: this is McKee’s vision through and through. Every lyric feels lived-in. Every arrangement feels intentional. Every moment feels like it cost something to create.
Soliloquy doesn’t aim to be convenient. It aims to matter.
So pour a drink, find a quiet space, and give it the time it asks for. Because albums like this don’t come around often, and when they do, they deserve more than just a casual listen.
If there’s any justice in the independent music world, Soliloquy won’t just be remembered as one of Australia’s most compelling releases this year, it’ll be talked about far beyond it.
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