On March 11, British indie artist Rex Orange County (Alexander James O’Connor) released his newest album Who Cares? In his latest installment, Rex replaces his dreamy guitar loops with string and orchestra sections, thanks to the help from Benny Sings, another artist who has influenced Rex’s career throughout the years. The album doesn’t stray that far from the norm, but there is a definite change in sound compared to other albums in Rex’s discography.
One thing that is prominent upon first listen is the lyricism within the project. Rex has exited the “hopeless romantic” era in his career and this is exemplified in the new project. He sings catchy hooks, and lighthearted verses that cover a multitude of emotions – making the album more enjoyable as a whole. Any listener can find a song to resonate with it lyrically, as the songs cover everything from heartbreak to happiness
Additionally, the album has become more pop influenced with the sounds that we hear within it; the music is mainly lighthearted and fun. The whole album is really easy to listen to because of its simplicity. Unlike the lyrics, the music doesn’t stray too far from one particular feeling that’s evoked when listening. The album is consistent, in that every song can evoke the same emotion.
For this reason, many audiences believe that the tracks within the album sound too similar, and are replicas of one another. Sonically, the album may sound similar to past projects, but lyrically each song is independent of the other. This alone separates the songs enough to make it clear the distinctions between them.
This album is instinctively different from any other album on Rex’s discography because it uses techniques never before heard on a Rex Orange County song. For example, the echo effect within “SHOOT ME DOWN,” “MAKING TIME” and “IF YOU WANT IT” is unheard of in a Rex album.
Often, Rex doesn’t do a lot of mixing or engineering within his projects, possibly in order to create a more intimate listen for the audience. That being said, we’ve seen Rex stray from this on songs like “Loving is Easy” in which he partners with Benny Sings. Here are the top five tracks to listen to from Who Cares?:
“KEEP IT UP”
In this song, we are introduced to the pop influence that circulates throughout the album. This song perfectly exemplifies the theme that goes throughout the album while shining singularly. It reminds me of previous tracks Rex has released on other albums because it’s the most similar to his past work.
“OPEN A WINDOW”
This song reminds of other work that Rex has been featured on, mainly because it features Tyler, The Creator. Rex was featured on Tyler’s song “Boredom” on his album Flower boy. This song sounds eerily similar to that track in the best way possible.
“AMAZING”
A love ballad like no other, Rex really puts his heart out there for anyone. This song feels as if he’s singing directly to the audience, which makes it that much sweeter to listen to.
“IF YOU WANT IT”
This song is such an uplifting and upbeat song to listen to if you’re happy. It makes you want to jump around and get out into the world. It’s unlike any song you’ve heard from Rex.
“THE SHADE”
One of the more sappy songs on the album, this feels like a return to Rex’s roots. This song is distinctly different from previous albums, but is reminiscent of previous works regardless.
