Rex Orange County has blown up the music industry in the last few years and their new album “WHO CARES?” is grabbing even more attention. Released on March 11, Rex Orange County’s fourth album is fun and gives off the “boy next door” impression.
Rex Orange County, also known by his legal title Alex O’Connor, has been performing and writing music since he was a young boy in the United Kingdom. 23-year-old O’Connor released his first album in 2015 titled “Bcos U Will Never B Free” and received attention from listeners all over the world. Since then, Rex Orange County’s career has boomed and he has almost 15 million monthly Spotify listeners.
This album is different from O’Conner’s others and shows his musical and professional growth. While some of the tracks explore the fluttery feelings of falling in love, there are also tracks that cover not wanting to see the other person in the relationship leave.
With collaboration from the famous Tyler the Creator, one of the album’s top hits “OPEN A WINDOW” is smooth and groovy sounding. The lyrics tell the problems of O’Connor in a relationship he wants to escape but can’t seem to leave. Similarly, the album’s next track “WORTH IT” goes into depth about the constant guessing of whether a relationship is worth the effort and who is to blame when things go wrong. On this album, O’Connor’s lyrics describe the love life of many 20-somethings, which makes this album relatable and thought-evoking.
Although”WHO CARES” covers a topic applicable to young people, there isn’t much range when it comes to the sound of the music. Each song has a similar funky and mellow feel.
Still, Rex Orange County has just begun his career, and in spite of the album’s similarities, it’s clear there’s no stopping his future.
