Mellow orchestral strings and jazz-pop piano lines would help ease you into your couch cushions, if not for the groovy hip-hop drum beats and bass lines that will grab and keep your attention in Rex Orange County’s latest album. 
With 11 songs over the course of 34 minutes, “Who Cares?” explores the artist’s anxieties and insecurities — particularly in the context of relationships — with simple, soothing instrumentals. 
Alexander O’Connor, the English singer/songwriter professionally known as Rex Orange County, has been more widely known since several features on Tyler, the Creator’s 2017 album “Flower Boy.” He has four studio albums under his belt, with “Who Cares?” being the most recent, released March 11.

Collaborations with Tyler, the Creator, however, are not a thing of O’Connor’s past. The second track on “Who Cares?” — “Open a Window” — features the American rapper as well.

The song begins with peaceful orchestral strings under a heavily warped, simultaneously bouncy and relaxed bassline. The lyrics describe feeling cooped up or stuck — possibly in the context of a romantic relationship. O’Connor begins the song asking if he can open the door, adding “There’s so many reasons/ I can barely take it anymore.” 
His vocals are smooth and quiet, over a jazzy piano line playing pop-ballad chord with a hip-hop style drum machine in the background. The third verse brings in Tyler, the Creator for a rap, where he states “feelin stuck, really feelin stuck/ like the middle car on a freewheel pile up with semi-trucks.” Oknoma’s vivid imagery creates a claustrophobic feeling that adds to the song’s lyrics.
“Open Window” is one of the singles that was released for the album, along with the opening track “Keep It Up.”

The first track is one of the more upbeat songs on the album, with a happy-sounding bassline and a basic rock beat behind it and dreamy orchestral strings during the choruses and in a couple breakdowns. 
Through the lyrics, O’Connor sends a heartfelt message on self-worth, encouraging the listener to “Keep it up and go on” through the hard times. He also adds, “You no longer owe the strangers/ it’s enough, it’s enough” — words that hit home for people with anxiety and people-pleasing tendencies. 

Themes on self-worth and facing difficult anxieties and insecurities are found throughout the album. Another example is seen in “The Shade,” a guitar-based song that also has a dreamy sound with the guitar line and light chimes that follow the vocal melody.

In the lyrics O’Connor reflects on his feelings and actions in an unhappy relationship, using analogies such as “Painting all the walls just to see if you liked the shade” to communicate the way he changed himself simply for his partner. O’Connor reminisces on the hardship he felt, yet still begged his partner, “please don’t go.”

Through his reflection, O’Connor is acknowledging that he is worth more than a relationship that takes more than it gives.

In whole, the album is very simple with instrumentals — it is not exceptional or experimental in this way. Yet the simplicity has a certain charm that fits with the lyrical themes on insecurities and self-worth. The songs feel more intimate, like a singer/songwriter album, that helps convey the emotions in the words. For those who like the alluring sounds of dream pop, this album will scratch your itch. 
“Who Cares” is the perfect album for destressing on a Saturday afternoon — especially as we enjoy one last weekend before spring term.