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Who Cares? (album)

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Who Cares?
A photo of the artist in a beige room surrounded by dalmatian dogs, with the caption "Who Cares?" on the top.
Studio album by
Rex Orange County
Released11 March 2022 (2022-03-11)
RecordedOctober 2020 (2020-10)
GenreBedroom pop[1]
Length34:51
LabelRCA
Producer
Rex Orange County chronology
Pony
(2019) 		Who Cares?
(2022) 		The Alexander Technique
(2024)
Singles from Who Cares?
  1. "Keep It Up"
    Released: 26 January 2022
  2. "Amazing"
    Released: 14 February 2022
  3. "Open a Window"
    Released: 9 March 2022

Who Cares? is the fourth studio album by the English musician Rex Orange County, released on 11 March 2022, through RCA Records.[2] The album was written and produced by Rex Orange County and the Dutch musician Benny Sings, with an appearance from the American rapper Tyler, the Creator.[3][2]

The album debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart with 35,000 album equivalent units.[4]

Background

[edit]

Following the release of his third studio album, Pony (2019), Rex Orange County began work on his fourth studio album sometime in the fall of 2020. Rex Orange County and the Dutch musician Benny Sings met in what was described as a "session without expectations," which later turned into a "productive 48-hour window of recording". The two later went on a trip to Amsterdam where the album was finished in a span of 10 days.[5] On 13 October 2020, he posted an image of him and Benny Sings in the studio on Twitter, and revealed more information four days later, stating he had finished the album, and revealed its title.[6] On 31 December 2020, he confirmed that the album was set for release in 2021.[7]

After a long period of silence on social media throughout 2021, Rex Orange County replied to a tweet on 1 January 2022, apologizing for the delay of the album, and asked if his fans still wanted to hear it.[8] He then posted a video to TikTok, on 15 January 2022, teasing a snippet of a track which was reportedly titled "Keep It Up".[9] The song's title was officially confirmed on 26 January 2022, when it was released, along with the official announcement of the release date, artwork, and track listing of Who Cares?, revealing a feature from the American rapper Tyler, the Creator, who Rex Orange County first worked with for Tyler's studio album, Flower Boy (2017).[10]

Composition

[edit]

Musically, Who Cares? is described as a bedroom pop record,[1] with elements of soul,[11] jazz,[12] and dance.[13]

Rex Orange County explained that the album's title was in his head before recording sessions began, and that he decided it needed to be the title after some of the songs were recorded.[13]

Promotion

[edit]

Singles

[edit]

After teasing the song on TikTok, Rex Orange County released "Keep It Up" as the album's lead single, on 26 January 2022, with its music video premiering the same day.[14]

"Amazing" was released as the album's second single on 14 February 2022, alongside its music video.[15]

Two days before the album's release, "Open a Window" featuring Tyler, the Creator was released as the album's third and final single, on 11 March 2022.[16]

Other songs

[edit]

The music video for the album's ninth track, "Making Time", was released on 15 March 2022.[17] The music video for the album's fifth track, "One in a Million", was released on 7 June 2022.[18]

Performances

[edit]

During a TikTok livestream on 3 February 2022, Rex Orange County performed "Keep It Up" alongside two unreleased tracks from Who Cares?, "Amazing" and "Making Time".[19] He appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on 12 March 2022, performing "One in a Million".[20]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[22]
DIY[23]
The Guardian[1]
The Independent[11]
NME[24]

Who Cares? received favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

In a more critical review of the album, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian rated Who Cares? two out of five stars, writing that the singer was playing it "gratingly safe".[1] Writing for The Observer, Ammar Kalia described it as "sweet, unremarkable bedroom pop", which "offers plenty of hooks but lacks the depth to be truly memorable."[25][26]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks written and produced by Alex "Rex Orange County" O'Connor and Benny Sings, except where noted.

Who Cares? track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Keep It Up" 3:03
2."Open a Window" (featuring Tyler, the Creator)
  • O'Connor
  • Benny Sings
  • Tyler Okonma
3:39
3."Worth It" 2:45
4."Amazing" 3:29
5."One in a Million" 3:15
6."If You Want It" 3:07
7."7am" 3:19
8."The Shade" 3:02
9."Making Time" 1:55
10."Shoot Me Down" 4:52
11."Who Cares?" 2:29
Total length:34:51
Japanese edition bonus track[27]
No.TitleLength
12."Making Time" (Alternative Version)2:06
Total length:37:04

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

  • Rex Orange County – vocals, arrangement (all tracks); keyboards (1), piano (1, 2, 10, 11), percussion (2, 9), synthesizer (6, 9), glockenspiel (8); acoustic guitar, drums (9)
  • Benny Sings – arrangement (all tracks), background vocals (1, 5, 11), keyboards (1, 3, 4, 8, 11), programming (1, 2, 4–7, 9–11), bass (3–5, 7, 8), drum machine (3, 8–10), electric guitar (3, 4, 8), orchestra (3), piano (5, 7, 11)
  • Joe MacLaren – bass (1, 2, 9–11)
  • Tyler, the Creator – vocals (2)

Technical

  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
  • Ben Baptie – mixing (all tracks), engineering (5)
  • Benny Sings – engineering
  • Vic Wainstein – engineering (2)
  • Nathan Hoffeldt - engineering (3)
  • Tom Archer – mixing assistance

Artwork

  • Bráulio Amado – illustrations
  • Aidan Zamiri – photography

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Who Cares?
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[29] 95
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[30] 193
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[31] 16
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[32] 77
Irish Albums (OCC)[33] 2
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[34] 78
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[35] 1
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[36] 14
Scottish Albums (OCC)[37] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[38] 76
UK Albums (OCC)[39] 1
US Billboard 200[40] 5
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[41] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[42] 2

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Kalia, Ammar (14 March 2022). "Rex Orange County: Who Cares? review – sweet, unremarkable bedroom pop". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Rex Orange County Shares New Album 'Who Cares?' f/ Tyler, the Creator". Complex. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Rex Orange County's new album, WHO CARES?, arrives ahead of the British songwriter's long-awaited return for an Australian tour this September". Rolling Stone. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  4. ^ Caulfield, Keith (21 March 2022). "Lil Durk Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With '7220'". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  5. ^ Anderson, Alexandra (27 January 2022). "Rex Orange County returns with nostalgic video for new single 'KEEP IT UP'". Hot Press. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  6. ^ Graves, Shahlin (14 October 2020). "Rex Orange County announces new album, 'Who Cares?'". Coup de Main Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  7. ^ Graves, Shahlin (14 January 2021). "Rex Orange County confirms 2021 release for new album 'Who Cares?'". Coup de Main Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  8. ^ Medina, Dani (15 January 2022). "Finally! Rex Orange County Joins TikTok To Share Snippet Of New Song". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  9. ^ Shutler, Ali (15 January 2022). "Listen to a snippet of a new Rex Orange County song". NME. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  10. ^ Colón, Izzy (26 January 2022). "Rex Orange County Reveals New Album With Single 'Keep it Up'". Spin. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b Brown, Helen (11 March 2022). "Rex Orange County review, Who Cares? – Affable aimlessness is part of his charm, but also his greatest flaw". The Independent. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  12. ^ Holden, Finlay (7 March 2022). "Rex Orange County "Who Cares?"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  13. ^ a b Havens, Lyndsey (11 March 2022). "20 Questions With Rex Orange County: How a Spontaneous Trip Informed His 'Loose' New Album". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  14. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (26 January 2022). "Rex Orange County Announces The New Album 'Who Cares?' With The Jaunty 'Keep It Up'". Uproxx. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  15. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (14 February 2022). "Rex Orange County shares new single "AMAZING"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  16. ^ Corcoran, Nina (9 March 2022). "Listen to Rex Orange County and Tyler, the Creator's New Song "Open a Window"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  17. ^ Ackroyd, Stephen (15 March 2022). "Rex Orange County Has Shared A New Video For 'Making Time'". Dork. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  18. ^ Gonzalez, Alex (7 June 2022). "Rex Orange County's Heart Follows Him In His New 'One In A Million' Video". Uproxx. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  19. ^ Shutler, Ali (3 February 2022). "Watch Rex Orange County debut unreleased 'Who Cares?' tracks 'Amazing' and 'Making Time'". NME. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  20. ^ Graves, Shahlin (12 March 2022). "Watch: Rex Orange County performs 'One In A Million' live on The Late Show". Coup de Main Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Who Cares? by Rex Orange County Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  22. ^ Collar, Matt (11 March 2022). "Who Cares? Review by Matt Collar". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  23. ^ Grice, Alisdair (9 March 2022). "Rex Orange County - Who Cares?". DIY. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  24. ^ Williams, Sophie (11 March 2022). "Rex Orange County – 'Who Cares?' review: another masterclass in heartfelt pop". NME. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Rex Orange County: Who Cares? review – sweet, unremarkable bedroom pop". the Observer. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Rex Orange County: Who Cares? review – sad boy-next-door plays it gratingly safe". the Guardian. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  27. ^ "フー・ケアーズ？" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  28. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Rex Orange County – Who Cares?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rex Orange County – Who Cares?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rex Orange County – Who Cares?" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  31. ^ "Rex Orange County Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rex Orange County – Who Cares?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  34. ^ "2022 11-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – Rex Orange County – Who Cares?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Rex Orange County – Who Cares?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  38. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Rex Orange – Who Cares?". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  39. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  40. ^ "Rex Orange County Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  41. ^ "Rex Orange County Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Rex Orange County Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
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