“Stressed Out” and “Never Had the Balls” continue the general flow of the album. He continues to discuss the feelings of being trapped in an undesirable situation and finding it difficult to trust people in “Face to Face”: “You were occupied, I was in the shower / You were unaware, I was fully clothed.” Short in length but deep in meaning, O’Connor expresses his exposure to criticism and disconnected nature to people with whom he has artificial relationships. “Laser Lights” acts as a defining song to the sound of Rex Orange County. The album switches to an analysis of the self for the next three songs. He recognizes he is not alone, and prefers it that way. He describes how his tendency to bottle things up was deconstructed by committing himself to their relationship, and that opening up is a necessary part of dealing with internal battles. His increasingly artificial relationships’ correlation to his increasing fame is central to its lyrics and promises a foreshadowing of the focus of the rest of the album.Īttempting to comprehend the validity of his feelings, “Always” is a soulful ballad depicting O’Connor’s relationship with Morgan-Murell. The first track of the album, “10/10,” greets the listener with a fast-paced, retro sound accompanied by lyrics analyzing the past few years of his life. Pony’s musical composition is hard to define, a trend consistent with the nature of his past albums as well. He pairs a showtime piano sound with the smoothness of a saxophone, and a string orchestra with the high frequency scales of a flute. Instrumentally, the melodies feel discovered rather than composed. It weaves through struggles of self analysis, learning how to love, and coming to terms with the bleak reality of something you once dreamed of. Pony is a snapshot of O’Connor’s life at this moment in time. Love has grown to occupy his songs, and now exists as a defining topic of O’Connor’s work. In a personal sense, his relationship with musician Thea Morgan-Murell has developed in the past three years to be a primary source of inspiration for his lyrics. Since 2016, Rex Orange County has been featured on Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy in “Foreword” and “Boredom,” which acted as a stimulus for his name recognition. 25, is consistent in his classic approach to song composition: Attention is focused primarily on the lyrics and a vast array of instruments that speak to the high degree of his musical skill.Īlex O’Connor, the 21-year-old behind the pseudonym, has described Pony as a deeply personal work that is meant to capture his growth both as an artist and person since his first album release back in 2016. His strength both as a lyricist and composer has been repeatedly demonstrated in his past albums Bcos U Will Never B Free and Apricot Princess, but is taken to a new level in his new work Pony. Rex Orange County is angst, introspection, and 21-year-old confusion personified.
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