WHO CARES? Tracklist
WHO CARES? is the fourth studio album by the British singer-songwriter Rex Orange County, released on March 11th, 2022.
The artist first started providing his fans with updates about the album in late 2020, with several posts on his social media accounts.
On April 28, 2021, during an Instagram Live, Rex played a new song and stated that the album had been completed, with Benny Sings as a co-producer: the Dutch musician had previously featured on Rex’s 2017 single “Loving Is Easy.”
After almost a year of inactivity and several teasers, on January 25, 2022 Rex announced the album’s title on YouTube and Twitter, through an announcement video.
The following day, the lead single “KEEP IT UP” was officially released, together with its music video, while the album’s cover art, tracklist and release date were all revealed.
Over the next month, a series named WHO CARES? IN THE STUDIO – showcasing studio footage of Rex, Benny Sings and Joe MacLaren – was released exclusively on the artist’s YouTube channel.
The album’s second single, “AMAZING,” was released on Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2022), whereas “OPEN A WINDOW” – featuring Tyler, the Creator – came out on March 9 as the third and final single.
“WHO CARES?” Q&A
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What have the artists said about the album?
Rex Orange County:I wanted to get out for a minute and my friend and I went to Amsterdam—a place I love very much. We went by car, so we didn’t touch anything anywhere, any person. Just like door to door, from London to Amsterdam. I have a good friend there called Benny Sings, who’s an artist—we made [2017 single] “Loving Is Easy” together. So we went in with him for two days, and that’s where [the album’s first single] “KEEP IT UP” came from. It’s probably very inspired by feeling like I didn’t want to keep it up and didn’t feel very good—so I wanted something motivational, some kind of an affirmation.
There’s the side that loves synths and electronic music and dance music, a song called “IF YOU WANT IT”. There’s a side to me that’s my favourite type of music in the world, which is just ¾ timing, or 6/8 timing, a song called “MAKING TIME”, and it’s saying the same lyric over and over again. There’s a song on there that sounds like it should have been a James Bond song. To me this feels like one side. This was made in 2020, and I’d want people to know there’s a whole other side that I’m working on that’s very, very exciting.
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What have the artists said about the album?
Rex Orange County:My 4th album WHO CARES? is out now everywhere. I want to thank Benny Sings. Benny, thanks for being one of my biggest influences and one of the main reasons I wanted to be a solo artist. I’m so happy we got to make this whole album together. It feels surreal for me because I really don’t think there would be a Rex Orange County without Benny Sings! I also want to thank my best friend Joe MacLaren … Joe and I went out to Amsterdam without plans to make an album, met up with Benny and everything just fell into place. Joe played bass on most of WHO CARES? and along with his wonderful talent, he provided me with so much joy & laughter. (This man also shot all the footage of us making the album, parts 1-5 on YouTube) … love you Joe, love you Benny, thank you both so much for helping me make this. Finally, my thanks go to the people closest to me who have helped me navigate this weird life! Thank you for supporting me through everything. I don’t think I would be here without you. This is the life!!!!!! 💙
