Being a big fan of an artist in the prime years of your development is an interesting experience. You become attached to them sentimentally, and the growth you see in the artist themselves can be almost emotional to see, though, watch out for parasocial relationships…but that’s an opinion for another day. This is the exact feeling I associate with Rex Orange County, who just earlier this month released his newest album, “The Alexander Technique.”

Rex Orange County, his real name being Alexander O’Connor, just dropped his fifth studio album, and from what I’ve seen, there’s been mixed reviews. As a long time fan since 2018, I had the album pre-saved and I was quite literally counting down the seconds on the night of its release. Though it may have been overkill, the point is I wasn’t going to let anyone else’s opinion skew mine before I had listened to it, especially with this being his first release in two years. With some critiques I’ve seen of people saying “he’s just talking over a beat” or that it simply doesn’t compare to his previous releases, I genuinely could not disagree more. This album has been on repeat, and is up there as one of my favorite albums from him.

Rex Orange County’s sound has always been a slightly more unique one, described by Google as a fusion of jazz, bedroom pop and indie. He’s not afraid to experiment with his instrumentals, and his ability to wrench your heart out of your chest with one song and have you dancing like it’s nothing the next is truly a skill not many artists are able to replicate. With six more tracks than usual his albums, I was hype about the extra content from him. I will admit, despite my personal obsession with it, I can see how his music may not be for everyone, especially with his most recent album.

Opening with the first track, “Alexander,” immediately I knew I was going to be in for an emotional ride with this album. Though I’ve yet to see confirmation on this, the connection seems too uncanny to not be the case, and I find it to be quite clever. For context, in health and wellbeing, the Alexander Technique is a therapy based around fixing posture to prevent the range of health problems poor posture can bring. As I mentioned earlier, Rex’s real name is also Alexander, making this all a play on words, which absolutely delights me as someone who loves a good easter egg in her favorite artists’ music. Now back to the song, he opens the song by sing-talking, “I’ve had back pain for most of my life” and proceeds to tell his story of a conversation with his doctor and his complaints about his back pain, when the doctor really wants to focus on Rex’s poor mental state.

The song itself was one of my favorite’s off the album, which is why I was so surprised to see some relatively negative opinions about it on social media. People were saying he was mostly just talking or that it was hardly a song, which is a critique I’ve seen on some songs throughout the album, but the point behind it is the story and the artistry behind the message he’s trying to say. It’s a song about putting your focus away from your mental health, quote “I may be using my back pain to distract from the pain of life,” and how it’s hard to confront the fact that sometimes, needing help is okay and necessary. I love this one because it also highlights the anger behind not wanting to get help, which I feel is a part of the mental health discussion that is often overlooked. In this song, Rex also balances a dry sort of humor with the story, and was overall a really strong start to the album for me.

The next track, according to the Spotify stream counter, is the most streamed song off the album,“Guitar Song.” The song is four minutes long, but the lyrics stop for the most part at around 1:40, instrumentals filling the rest of the song. The instrumentals are a good representation of Rex’s schtick, an interesting jazz fusion sound that can be immediately clocked as a song from him because the style is just so unique and recognizable. Again, this was another banger for me. I found the lyrics extremely relatable as he reflects on his 16-year- old self, and as I’m 16 while I’m writing this, it hit different for sure. The lyric, “I remember being 16, didn’t know a thing with open eyes/ I couldn’t take the pain but I was old enough to try,” really sealed the deal for me and my love for this song, especially as someone who tends to get overwhelmed easily. The only critique I would understand for this track is the fact that it is mostly instrumentals, where I can see how that’s not everyone’s thing, especially with a style like his.

Following “Guitar Song” came “2008,” a more upbeat reflection on childhood. I didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as the other ones on this album, but that’s not to say I didn’t love it. I appreciate that it’s more upbeat, follows a more typical song structure and a song about childhood nostalgia will always suit me as someone who has never been able to get over anything in her life ever…just kidding, sorta. Anyway, I just found that in comparison to other songs that are near perfection on this album, this one was just good, and didn’t leave as much of a mark.

Next up, “Therapy.” I love the message of this one, but it’s another one that in comparison to the rest of the album it’s just not as notable for me. I’m always a sucker for when Rex brings in the violins/orchestra though, and I swear I feel like ascending every time he does it.

The shortest track on the album, “4 In The Morning” is short and sweet. ‘Twas relatable and put me in my feelings. Whatever his goal was with this one, he succeeded.

“Jealousy” is another favorite. To me, this one has that viral TikTok potential. It’s sweet, a painful one for the fellow yearners and a dreamy one for the loving couples. Even though it’s about jealousy, it’s less toxic than that in my eyes and more about desiring to be with the person you love. With Rex’s public dating history and my following of many years, this one also brought me back to a different era of loverboy Rex. 

There’s so much I could say about this next one. “The Table” is my second favorite off the album and I don’t think I could stop thinking about it if I tried. The song being about where things originated from – what is the history of the tree a table is made from? What lovers carved their initials into it? What life does that stranger lead? It’s such a relatable train of thought for me, thinking about things that likely don’t mean much at all, but do to me. The simplicity of the guitar and that more talking style that’s been a common theme throughout this album compliments well with the winding story he’s trying to tell. Not only is it one of my favorites from the album, but one of my favorite releases from Rex ever.

Similarly to “Jealousy,” the next song, “Pure,” I also want to predict will be one of the viral ones eventually. It’s one of the more song-like songs, with a catchy melody and that more typical, upbeat Rex style that is beloved to many, but still more mellowed out than most others. Loverboy Rex is once again shining through in this one.

These next two I’ll group together because not every song can be my favorite off the album, and if I had to choose these two were probably of the less remarkable ones for me. “One of These Days” and “Carrera” both have their lyrics that make me feel seen in a way I didn’t know was possible, but these ones in comparison to my favorite fall just a bit short. I can definitely see “One of These Days” growing on me though, it gets better with every listen.

In terms of musicality and the melody, “Much Too Much” is one that I find most interesting to listen to. Rex does a lot with different slower parts, then it picks up and then he brings in those violins I love oh-so-much – the lyrics are comforting, too.

I’m going to pair the next two together again. Similarly to the previous pair, “Sliding Doors” and “Lost For Words” are both ones that can get lost in the face of the extremely powerful ones on this album for me. Honestly, “Lost For Words” is probably my least favorite on the album. It’s not necessarily bad, I just find that Rex has released more impactful works before.

Now for the one I’ve been most excited for. The one that literally brought me to tears when I first heard it. The one that I immediately texted my friend about, demanding that she listen to it ASAP. My favorite off the album and the only collaboration, “Look Me In The Eyes” featuring James Blake is beautiful. Ironically, in an interview with Rex, he said that James was the one who wrote the whole song, so this one being my favorite is surprising to me given that Rex wasn’t even the one who wrote it. The pure emotion in their voices, the soft piano, the absolutely gut-wrenching lyrics – thank you, Rex and James for giving me what I never knew I needed. 

The lyrics about catching eyes across the wedding aisle, the things that were left unsaid between two people and the lyrics “Look me in the eyes if you’re going to lie/ It’s the least you can do,” rocked my world in every sense of the phrase. This song is my Roman Empire and I genuinely find it so jarring that it’s not more popular. At the same time though, I hope no one finds out about it and I get to keep it in my heart for my personal enjoyment forever.

Following this life altering experience came “New Years.” It’s a good one, but unfortunately I’m always still recovering from the one that came before it and it just doesn’t leave much effect on me after my emotions were completely numbed from “Look Me In The Eyes.”

The album ends with “Finally.” I really love the beginning of it, but the song is three minutes long and the singing stops almost completely at around 1:30. The instrumentals that take up the rest of the song are pleasant, but Rex has shown that he can do more than that. This makes it one of my lesser favorites, but it’s a good enough way to wrap up the album, leaving you satisfied with the conclusion of the album, especially with the way it fades out at the end.

So, does this album beat my personal favorite album by Rex, “Pony”? No, but it’s certainly a ferocious contender. This album will be my personality for the next few months, and I pity the interactions I’ll be having with the people around me – especially after his concert in October that I’ll be attending. There are no wrong opinions, but a negative review of this album would be, well, wrong.

I rate this album 10/10 stars.