Reetoxa cranks up the swagger on the brilliantly spirited ‘Dancing With Lou’

There's a rush that comes with discovering an artist who suddenly makes the whole world of songwriting feel wider. For Reetoxa’s Jason McKee, that artist was Lou Reed, and ‘Dancing With Lou’ turns that teenage revelation into a gloriously loose, energetic piece of rock ’n’ roll.

Taken from Reetoxa’s second album 'Soliloquy', the single looks back to 1995, when a fifteen-year-old McKee was introduced to Reed’s solo work through 'The Blue Mask'. Already familiar with The Velvet Underground, he found something different in Reed’s later material: a fearless approach to subject matter and a sense that songs didn't need to behave themselves.

‘Dancing With Lou’ carries that spirit without slipping into imitation. Here, Reetoxa builds a track full of movement, grit and personality, blending raw guitar energy with a rhythm that genuinely wants to dance. It has the kind of rock swagger that feels immediate without becoming overly polished, and that looseness gives the song much of its charm.

The supporting cast helps enormously. Peter Marin of JET drives the track from behind the kit, James Ryan adds sharp guitar work, and Kit Riley anchors the arrangement on bass. Together, they give McKee’s writing a muscular, lived-in feel, while Simon Moro’s mix and master retain the punch without sanding away the rough edges.

This is ultimately a song about the moment a young musician realises there are no rules worth following if they stop you from writing honestly. Lou Reed showed McKee that songs could be messy, provocative, funny, personal and completely uncensored, and ‘Dancing With Lou’ feels like a celebration of that freedom.

Warm, swaggering and packed with rock ’n’ roll spirit, Reetoxa takes a feel for nostalgia and turns it into unbridled momentum.