OUR take on the new REECE MASTIN.
An image from his new music video for his single EVEN ANGELS CRY
We know we've written a shit load about this guy. I for one am a huge fan, and we all here at the Australian Music Group are. He's no longer the Scunthorpe-Adelaide-Sydney teen everyone previously had depicted him as. He's DIFFERENT. He's made a bunch of pretty huge decisions, met some cool people, flown around to some cool places, and just dropped a really cool new album, CHANGE COLOURS.
Let's start with the first track, Lockdown. This track was written by Reece, and Ben Rodgers. Starts off with 8 beats. Drums, then guitars. The opening line 'There's a ghost, at my door, he was shot down a day before'. Bass. Cymbals. 'Damn straight, I get nervous, I'm in Lockdown, cos no one answered what they saw.' Chorus comes along 'They're coming to get me'. Reece says this was written around the same time as December 2014's Lindt Cafe Siege in Sydney.
Reece isn't fearless. Every track on the album has some meaning, some relating to his anxiety, not wanting to leave the house. He had been living in fear of the unknown, that they were out to get him. It had got to the point where he wouldn't leave until "Mahalia dragged him out of the house", he told AAP.
The next track is You Could Be Wild. A pop-rock inspired fun song. Everyone at Reece's gigs love when he plays this one. It's upbeat, something anyone can dance to. And they do, the whole crowd.
Not simply one of those 'Taylor Swift make up break up songs', the next track, 'I Don't Love You Anymore' with Ben Rodgers and Alain Whyte - Alain known for his cameos on various artists' tunes, Chris Brown, Madonna, Black Eyed Peas and more. It's an UPBEAT song, that I think anyone can some how relate to.
Heartache Blues is personally my favourite. Reece wrote this track with MSquared Productions' Michael Paynter and Mike Delo; and Ben Rodgers. It explain the heartache he experienced going through the much publicised split with lover Rhiannon Fish (former Home and Away star). Aside from the sadness of the split, it's a vibey tune, I imagine driving along the beach in a convertable, such an 80's kinda track.
Track 5. Powerhouses. You Gotta Go. Rodgers and Mastin wrote this one together. It features some of Australia's BEST musicians, Jimmy Barnes - killing it on the vox, and Chris Cheney of The Living End on guitars. Did I mention the WHOLE album was recorded at the Barnes' residence, FREIGHT TRAIN STUDIOS. No wonder it's a good one.
Reece Mastinon the road with Alys for his instore tour. Image: thecourier.com.au
Down to Earth (Track 6) was written with Alys Ffion (pronounced A-LIS FEE-ON), on one of Reece's various trips to the US, where his album got mastered, he met with The Orchard (a branch of Universal Music). The track opens all quiet, but builds and builds, it's beautiful. Their harmonies, the violins, drums; everything just progresses. She (Alys) also came along to his album launch instore tour, where fans got to meet Reece, Mahalia, Alys, and the whole team.
For (F**K) You starts with a cool drum beat, it's quite a funny song, he's hinted at this one being about Rhiannon too. "She's used to new and shiny things, she'll take a diamond from the rough, and leave me poor. And then she'll smile and turn in a while."
STAND UP BE PROUD. Pretty self-explanatory hey? What do we think this song is about? We're pretty sure this has something to do with his X-Factor journey. Being messed with, having enough, making YOUR choices and doing things the way you want, as he has since leaving Sony and transitioning to Social Family Records. You might say he's just taking the piss out of 'em, after all it isn't all it seems
Caged Paradise. Dirty-funk-soul sorta song. I love the guitars on this one. I often find myself nodding my head to it *laughs on the inside as I begin to realise how lame I am*, BUT it IS a great song, as are all of them.
Right Out Of Me, it starts off acoustic, and the rest of the song is introduced by tambourines. It can kinda be perceived however you like, but I had been under the impression it was a dirty track. Interpret these: Pull me down, stripping me clean, pull the heart right out of me. Toss me 'round making me bleed, pull the heart right out of me. Another way I thought it had been intended was talking about him being messed around with X-Factor and the major label life.
You and I, 'We've Already Won'. Seems like a very contrasting song. Not sure if that's just me, but the keying and tune of it, especially in the pre-chorus to chorus is completely different. He wrote it with Cheney and Rodgers. He hasn't played it to a live audience before but it's a great track.
The next song is Even Angels Cry. The release of this song and how it became a single seems like quite a defining moment for Reece. It showed the amount of love and charisma all his fans have. It was chosen to be a single by the people who know him best - the fans. A world first activation, powered by Twitter. Every day in the coming weeks before the album was released, they would drop a snippet of every song to the Twitter world. A retweet would count as a vote, and the track with the most votes became the single. That song was Even Angels Cry. I wouldn't say this is a favourite of mine, and a favourite of his either, but it is able to be played on commercial radio, kids can sing along to it. I honestly would've liked to see 'You Gotta Go' become the single so Reece can prove anyone who doesn't believe that he truly does do rock music wrong.
It is a great song, Even Angels Cry, and the meaning behind it is true. It's about people (especially teenagers) conforming to the standards. Trying hard to live up to expectations, and encouraging people to be true to who they are. He wrote it with Audra Mae, a relative of Judy Garland, Paynter and Delorenzis, at an APRA (Australasian Performing Rights Association) 'Song Hubs' event, where musos come together to write music. They came up with a few songs, but Even Angels Cry had a good meaning, that he hopes "alot of people can relate to".
The last, and of course not the least song on the album is Change Colours, the title track. Reece wrote this one with Simon Olsen and Rodgers, whom both have played for him on multiple tours. I love this track alot. The way it builds and builds and gets bigger and heavier, it's repetitive in a good way. Mahalia, and her other singer friends (Jade McCrae + more) come in on backing vocals. It goes from a soft to hard to soft kinda song. The ending. Roughly 45 seconds of the same piano key. It had most fans puzzled, but it adds meaning to the song. Plus it's the ending track, so it's an interested way to end the song and the album.
This album kept all Reece's loyal fans on their toes, but it's an amazing album. Not one bit disappointing. It's a raw, honest record that we love, and we hope more of Australia can change their opinion of Reece, this is the new Reece. The Reece the true fans have been dying to hear.
He's Changed his Colours, turned his tables, and put together a great collection of memories from his 5 year whirlwind of a career. Reece Mastin.
