ALBUM REVIEW: Rex Orange County – ‘WHO CARES?’
Review By: Hollie Duffy
Rating 5/5
After 3 years, Rex Orange County’s long awaited fourth album ‘WHO CARES?’ has been released. The release schedule began with 3 lead singles, one of these featuring Tyler The Creator (the only collaboration to take place on this album) all-encompassing over 1 million streams before the release of the entire project.
Rex began to tease this project to fans in late 2020 through multiple social media posts on Twitter and fans have been eagerly waiting since then. The album takes you on a journey through self-worth, the feeling of being trapped, moving on and regret overall with an umbrella feeling of self-acceptance.
The album opens with 3 minutes of feel-good bedroom pop about self-worth, a great way to open this emotional album. If there’s one thing Rex Orange County knows how to do it’s integrating tear-jerking lyrics with cheery and up-beat instrumentals.
Track 2, ‘OPEN A WINDOW’, opens with a more Tyler, The Creator-fied take on Rex’s openings with a deeper instrumental but moves into that light sound once his vocals come in.
Midway through the album, track 6 ‘IF YOU WANT IT takes a darker approach with electronic undertones, which splits up the feel-good upbeat feeling of the previous songs, the comparison here vocalises the feeling of how things aren’t always easy. Moving through the motions isn’t always smooth sailing.
The dream team, consisting of Rex himself and Benny Sings, met up again to create the unbeatable sound that sets Rex Orange County’s music so apart from the others. Through recognisable Rex staple synths and instrumentals, like the rest of his work, will be on constant replay throughout thousands of homes this spring and summer.
