Rex Orange County, aka Alex O’Connor, has well and truly laid down the law of how to make sweet easy to listen to tunes. Already two albums down and having featured on Tyler the Creator’s new album Flower Boy, O’Connor’s presence is undeniable. As sweet soulful lilts serenade us throughout his tracks, we’re guided by his youthful perspective on the magic and melancholy of young love explored through a cross-hatch of styles.

This versatility continues with his newest release ‘Loving is Easy’, a collaboration with Dutch artist Benny Sings, where the instrumentals set a youthful yet 70s soul infused tone with a melody reminiscent of Elvin Bishop’s ‘Fooled around and fell in love’. Leading with “loving is easy, you had me fucked up”, it’s clear O’Connor isn’t trying to disguise the fact he’s still a London based 19-year-old addressing love in his own words.

 

The simplistic and repetitive lyrics are effective yet wonderfully catchy, adding a more relatable and wholesome edge to his almost black and white unfiltered approach to how easy love can truly be if you find the right slice. In the stop-motion animation music video, the two artists appear as clay-like and annoyingly well-dressed figures, this format playing on how his vibrant and rule-free approach to style translates to his visuals as well.

His age gifts him a unique stance amongst rising artists in the new generation of music, as does the raw emotion in his voice paired with uncensored lyrics and the need to not take himself too seriously. Listening to his music gives an almost intrusive look into his journey of coming of age and coming into his own, and in terms of what we can expect from O’Connor in the future, I don’t think he’s even scratched the surface.

 

Andrea Loftus

Photo Credit: diymag.com