Rex Orange County: Who Cares? Track by Track review

Rex Orange County has made a name for himself in a liminal space. occupying the realms of alternative pop and also dipping into hip hop frequently too. He's had huge success with singles such as Loving Is Easy and now he's released his fourth album Who Cares? We thought we would review it in a track by track see if indeed we should really care about this singer-songwriter.

Keep It Up

We're greeted on this album by gentle string sections. Then carried along on a chord section, it's typical Rex Orange County with an emphasis on inoffensive and gentle melodies. Rex sounds constantly confused, unsure of things yet remains determined to carry on and get through those more difficult ebbs and flows that life provides.

Open A Window (feat. Tyler, The Creator)

Not for the first time in his career Rex links up with Tyler, The Creator on this one. With strange deep vocals embedded in the track, we're drawn into a world of pure bedroom pop. Here we still get the sense that Rex is trying to figure things out, exploring feelings of being metaphorically trapped. 

Perhaps this song doesn't have the most intriguing chorus ever but Tyler's introduction is a highlight, his iconic voice and ability to flow with pretty much any groove elevate the song. 

Worth It

A track that takes a little while to get going, it transitions from strings to scattered percussion as we hear Rex pine about love being worth the pain. Tonally, this track feels all over the place with the strings sounding almost like they should be in a daytime TV show for pensioners. It's a very strange mix that leaves you wondering quite what they were going for.

Amazing

They are obsessed with including strings as often as possible but they do transition into a really buoyant and bright rhythm. You do end up listening to the instrumentals a lot more intently than what Rex is actually saying. There is a cringe-inducing magical sparkle effect at one point. 

One In A Million

Rex Orange County is in love. Here he describes waking up with someone, spending so much time with them and falling down deep. Yet those anxieties remain. The one in a million cliche is not done here with any particular nuance so you can pretty much infer what this is about from the title. 

If You Want It

The production is a little bit confusing here, with a sound that seems unsure of if it wants to be dark or beautiful and ending up being neither. It's at this point where you realise how ineffective Rex's songwriting is here, the subjects of love and anxiety are well-tread and he can only provide bland and general lyrics.

7AM

You can feel that the album was produced with Benny Sings who worked with Rex on his hit track Loving Is Easy, there are a lot of similarities to be found here yet the same magic has not been conjured. Again we are assured that Rex feels as though he is useless when it comes to love. At this point man make up your mind. 

The Shade

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Instantly settles into a really addictive groove. The rhythm is quite immediate and is one of the strongest across the whole album. It puts you in that dreamland that reminds you of teenage romantic dreaming. Yet lyrically the rest of the track is done a bit of a disservice. 

Making Time

One of the shorter efforts on Who Cares? it has far little time to really go anywhere as we retread back through Rex being in love and feeling safe. This could have been easily cut there's nothing to hold onto in terms of hooks or memorable or quotable lyrics.

Shoot me Down

This album has been flitting between him being comfortably in love to feeling like he's about to lose his relationship from track to track at most points. Maybe there's something to be said there for his anxious state of mind, never satisfied, feeling like he's on unstable ground even when in comfort but at this point, it just feels like a slightly irritating flip flop.

Who Cares?

The grand title track features a simplistic pop melody as Rex groans "who cares?" in a pretty irritating whine. It's an album that honestly has just become grating at this point. Rex's soft boi aesthetic as an emotional songwriter who wrestles with relatable struggles does not hit any mark here.

In summary, Who Cares? is a question that is left very much with one reply. A shrug of the shoulders. Rex has made a career on having an ear for melody and writing songs that reach out to younger people going through the ups and downs that growing up provides. On this album Rex really has nothing to say, he's never satisfied even in those happier moments and it comes off as whiny, where no solutions are provided just wallowing in his feelings. It is a frustrating listen.

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