By Emma Kidger
On March 11th Rex Orange County plans to release his 5th album, WHO CARES? To begin promoting his great return since his last album, he released two new songs “KEEP IT UP” and “AMAZING” which’s lyrics and meanings shocked his fans. Amidst the pandemic and after touring for Pony in 2019, he had a very public breakup with his long-term girlfriend or what some would call his muse. While most of his songs are all about his past relationship, Rex Orange County fans assumed that this new album would be a change of pace and focused on a breakup or heartbreak in general. The two newly released songs were nothing of the sort and continued to promote appreciation and love for a special someone. While I’m still anxiously awaiting the release of the whole album, by the song titles, I can clearly see how this album will be no heartbreaker and will keep up the lighthearted Rex Orange County optimism. Especially with another Rex Orange County and Tyler, The Creator comeback and the skepticism around the albums underlying theme and message, WHO CARES? is definitely the next album I can’t wait to listen to.
Update: Now that the album has been released, I understand many fans’ surprise and somewhat let down from the album. While listeners were expecting something new and different from past Rex Orange County albums, WHO CARES? seems to continue the same themes. With happy and upbeat topics of mental health and relationships, Rex Orange County utilizes lots of classical instruments to create a simple and lighthearted album. While I love the album and songs like “ONE IN A MILLION,” there’s not anything different that keeps me replaying WHO CARES? Rex Orange County definitely put out a decent album, however due to its similarity to past albums, he didn’t necessarily make a new hit.