Rex Orange County’s “WHO CARES?” supports self-love; alluring lyrics capture essential theme

BE YOURSELF: Rex Orange County shows all listeners to be true to themselves and that they can do anything. In this relatable album, he captures what it is like to doubt himself and then come out of it with confidence. Photo Courtesy of SPIN Power to the women: “Love Sux” is a tremendous album, combining beautiful melodies with extreme emotion. Avril Lavigne establishes a touching relationship with listeners and embraces this personal touch throughout the entirety of the album. Photo Courtesy of NME

By Raci Levine

Features Editor

Released on March 11, Rex Orange County’s new album, “WHOCARES?,” presents calming melodies and relatable songs. His album contains fea-tures from Tyler the Creator and three hit singles, “KEEP IT UP,” “OPEN A WINDOW” and “AMAZING”.

This is Rex Orange County’s fourth album, his previous albums containing hit songs like “Pluto Projector.” Although this album is filled with soul and love, it does not amount to his 2019 album, “Pony.” Rex Orange County’s goal for this album was to create a relatable heartfelt album for all his fans. In an interview with NME magazine, Rex Orange County says he wanted “the music to sound and feel free, because I feel free.”

Rex Orange County’s single “OPEN A WINDOW,” features rap artist Tyler the Creator and leaves all passionate fans in awe. The single is similar to one of Rex Orange County’s hit songs when he featured on Tyler the Creator’s song, “Boredom,” in his album “Flower Boy.” Both songs begin with slow, relaxing lyrics and pick up during the chorus.

The album title “WHO CARES?” resembles what Rex Orange County feels about negativity. Rex Orange County says that everyone is always going to try to find something negative or bad about his music. He wants to relay the message that his fans shouldn’t care about what other people think; if they are doing what they love, they should keep doing it.

From March 12-Sept. 10, Rex Orange County will be going on a world tour, showcasing his new album and his older beloved songs such as “Pluto Projector.” He will be performing at the Hollywood Bowl on June 4.

Though “WHO CARES?” didn’t shock listeners with ground-breaking instrumentals, it did give them a refreshing, personal look into Rex Orange County’s views on adversity. There are mixed opinions from all critics but overall, many fans loved the sentimental music that he produced.

The first song of the album, “KEEPIT UP,” connects to the theme Rex Orange County is trying to relay about not letting other people’s thoughts sway him. He begins the song with the lyric“Everytime I open my mouth, I have regrets in mind.” As the song advances,he tells his listeners to “[hold] out for what [they] want.” This beautiful songultimately tells listeners to be whomever they want, thus connecting with the album title “WHO CARES?”

“WHO CARES?” was released on March 11 and is available to stream Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and Pandora.