After music artist Rex Orange County, whose real name is Alexander James O’Connor, released his single “KEEP IT UP” off his latest album, “WHO CARES?” on Jan. 26 of this year, I knew he had a new journey to take listeners on. This upbeat song was distinctly different from previous pieces I’d heard from him. Although the song felt somewhat familiar to others in the bedroom pop genre, it represented a new era in his resolve.
When Rex released his full album on March 11, I sprang on the chance to immerse myself in the next chapter of his story. Building upon his prior album, “Pony,” released on Oct. 25, 2019, “WHO CARES?” truthfully explains how things will get better eventually.
Whereas “Pony” indicates Rex’s struggle to properly capture what he feels, this album is direct with his intentions. Unlike all three previous sets of songs, including “Bcos U Will Never B Free” and “Apricot Princess,” released in 2015 and 2017, respectively, “WHO CARES?” displays Rex’s clarity on his emotions. He knows now how to express himself while connecting his experiences to universal life lessons.
“It’s removing myself a little bit from it being such a heart-on-my-sleeve thing and such a deep lyrical thing where I’m trying to paint a very specific picture,” Rex told Daily Beast in the article “Rex Orange County on Battling Lockdown Depression and Reuniting With Tyler, The Creator on ‘Who Cares?’.” “I’m trying to leave it up to people’s interpretation a little bit more.”
Listening through “WHO CARES?” sequentially, it’s clear what themes Rex hopes people will interpret from the album. It opens with the two singles Rex released prior: “KEEP IT UP” and “OPEN A WINDOW.” These two pieces set a hopeful tonality for the rest of the songs through their upbeat chrouses and, at the same time, explain what issues Rex has battled with his mental health for the past two years.
“I’m just a regular person, struggling as much as everyone else, having a great time every now and then and trying my best,” Rex told Dazed in an article about the album “WHO CARES?”
As “KEEP IT UP” opens and closes with soft orchestra music, Rex describes the stress that has come along with his fame despite “only holding out for what [he wants].” While he feels “blessed” by all his fans’ support, he still feels overwhelmed from the amount of attention he gets.
“OPEN A WINDOW,” featuring Tyler, the Creator, is connected to the isolation Rex experienced during lockdown in 2020 due to COVID-19.
“Suddenly, I was just back in the countryside with my parents,” Rex told Daily Beast about quarantining in his hometown in the U.K. “It was pretty weird, having thought I was going to be away for a year [on tour] and being mentally prepared for that. I was just pretty stressed, I suppose, and just questioning everything.”
He expresses the longing to see another person’s face in the song.
“Stuck here and I never seem to get away / But I’ll hang on / Seasons change but you don’t ever / Oh, soon as I can see your face,” Rex sings.
As the album goes on, each song passes through almost seamlessly with the next. Like listening to a book from beginning to end, every song is a new chapter with its own distinct qualities.
The songs “WORTH IT,” “AMAZING” and “ONE IN A MILLION” present a journey to self-love. “WORTH IT” ends on an upbeat in contrast to where it starts when the song opens with a slow tempo and somber beat. Rex explains that the struggle is worth it because there’s something amazing ahead. This theme then transitions to “AMAZING,” which portrays Rex’s self-confidence growing. Sharp, quick sounds of violins represent the determination it takes for him to get to this point. “ONE IN A MILLION” is like a love ballad, and it sets the tone for the pieces in the album ahead. As Rex learns to love himself, he then understands how to love other people.
The “WHO CARES?” album demonstrates the highs and lows that occur in life. There are moments of overconfidence, like in “IF YOU WANT IT” and times of regret over past mistakes, such as in “7AM,” where Rex says he “wants to prove himself today.” Some songs are short in length, like in “MAKING TIME,” which represents spontaneity in life. Rex even refers to previous relationships over the past two years in “THE SHADE” and “SHOOT ME DOWN.”
To bring the album back to where he started it, the titular song “WHO CARES?” ties the theme of Rex’s experiences together. The predictable beat of this final song gives a communal feeling as if Rex is telling listeners he’s “been there too.” Even as the album reflects personal narratives, the moral of the stories is that it still all works out in the end.
Thus, explaining the lyrics in the song, “I wanna be happy too / I know what I’m supposed to do / Now that I know who cares.”
While a crescendo of orchestra music propels listeners into the story of Rex’s past two years, “WHO CARES?” ends abruptly, signaling there’s still more to come. No doubt Rex will experience more life lessons and turn these narratives into a comforting journey for listeners in future albums.
Edited by Shannon Worley, sworley@themaneater.com
