By Kassidy Tsikitas | Photographer
If you find yourself looking up at the ceiling while darkness fills your room reminiscing on the past, and you need music that resonates with that feeling, this album will do it.
Alex O’Connor, aka the voice behind Rex Orange County, is known best for his popular songs like “Best Friend” and “Loving is Easy.” His new album, “The Alexander Technique,” marks the beginning of a new era for his music.
Starting his career in 2015 with the release of “Bcos U Will Never Be Free”, O’Connor set a new standard for the indie music community, popularizing a new genre known as “bedroom pop.” His music creates a narrative for teenage boys — talking about hard-to-discuss topics like love, depression and loss.
O’Connor’s previous album, “Who Cares?” was not a hit for me. His sound was not growing up with him. It all sounded the same, so I really wasn’t sure if I would like this new one.
The first listen-through did indeed send me into a slight downward spiral thinking about life.
According to ScienceDirect, a website for peer-reviewed scientific journals and e-books, “The Alexander Technique” is a scientific term coined on the treatment of mental illness and stress that helps you rediscover natural balance.
In his song “Therapy,” O’Connor talks about the story of his life, how fame changed him and how he came to peace with his baggage. The song to describes how he grew up in the public eye and had two albums out by the age of seventeen. He also sings about having a positive experience through therapy and shows his growth through his albums.
“Much too Much” continues the theme of the album being a way to shake off the past. This song paints an image in the mind of letting go of people and things that don’t bring positivity to your life. O’Connor sings about how it’s hard to keep up with the loss of strangers, but he leads his everyday life with love and keeps his close friends in his life.
At the end of the song, he highlights the word “house.” I think this word is meant to express a safe space and might be a play on his single “New House,” which was about entering into a new stage with his girlfriend at the time. I feel as though this song leads naturally into “4 In The Morning” and what the listener would be playing through their minds during a sleepless night.
My favorite song in the album is “Look Me In The Eyes”. This collaboration with English artist James Blake talks about the pain of going through a breakup and having someone fall out of love with you in the relationship. This song is a pure expression of letting go of someone you truly loved.
The lyrics “And we never got to say the things you always wanted to say before it’s too late” illuminates the feeling of finding yourself through your heartbreak. It seems as though O’Connor was talking about his previous breakup with his girlfriend of four years, and how it changed him.
To wrap up the album, “Finally” brings the listener into a phase of acceptance. O’Connor sings, “Finally I’m home, I’ve finally let go” — possibly meaning he is fully becoming his true self.
From start to finish, O’Connor sings about his trauma through growing into adulthood in the public eye and the pressures that came along with it. He conveys the feeling that he lost himself through his years in the music industry and after lots of time of reflection, he is now able to be himself.
This album was not an easy listen. Despite my initial worry, I highly recommend giving this album a listen… but be prepared to do so with a box of tissues.
