“Erica And The Stars” emerged from a different kind of experience. Written during a mental health crisis, the song became something McKee could hold on to at a time when he needed it most. What began as a deeply personal piece eventually grew into an ambitious musical production, featuring the Budapest Orchestra performing the arrangement as he had imagined it in his mind.

The orchestral recording gives the track a scale that matches the intensity of its origins. Rather than simply adding strings to a rock song, the collaboration brings McKee's original musical vision to life, connecting an intimate experience with the sound of a full orchestra. It is a striking example of how an idea formed in a difficult moment can develop into something much larger.

The two tracks were recorded at The Avenue Recording Studio in Cheltenham, Victoria, with the orchestral sessions taking place in Budapest. Their production reflects the care behind the project, but the emotional core remains in the stories that inspired the songs. Both pieces show how personal experiences can become the starting point for music that other people may find their own meaning in.

Reetoxa is a Melbourne band fronted by McKee, whose songwriting journey spans three decades. After years of writing, he met producer Simon Moro and began bringing his music to a wider audience through his first release. That long creative process forms part of the story behind the band's work: these songs were not rushed into existence, but developed over time, shaped by experience and reflection.

With Double A Side 2 (Akaroa / Erica And The Stars), Reetoxa brings two deeply personal stories together in a release about memory, crisis, and the possibility of finding direction when life becomes difficult. The songs do not erase the experiences behind them. Instead, they give those experiences another form, showing how something that once felt impossible to carry can eventually become something worth sharing.