He's spoken of feeling trapped and frustrated, but the 21-year-old wunderkind has channelled his struggles into a jubilant collection of hope-laced tunes.
A beautiful new offering, ‘Pony’ is equal parts heart wrenching and hopeful, and shows Rex back at his very finest.
Through his own unique artistry, Rex has created an album that is wonderfully creative. This third album cements his status as a nascent national treasure.
His previous self-released work featured a lot of youthful optimism, and Pony is a matured evolution of this. He’s successfully maintained his signature spirited and upbeat sound but delivered it in a fresh and un-sickly package.
It is easily one of the most interesting and exciting pop records of the year.
He’s redrew his own boundaries and added new dimensions to his repertoire without sacrificing the sense of intimacy that made his output so compelling in the first place.
His unique pop prosody and production skills, more sophisticated than ever in Pony, foretell that his sound will continue progressing to new creative heights, with the heft of catchy pop music and the inventiveness of its growing indie subgenre.
Both likeable and ambitious, Pony showcases O'Connor's abilities, bringing together emotionally candid lyrics with jazz-informed arrangements, accented with horns, strings, and even a children's choir.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter lays out his struggles with commitment and fake friends over hip-hop inflected nerdy piano pop.
Pony meanders, seemingly uncertain of its purpose, but Rex Orange County retains enough charm and honesty to remain engaging while he figures himself out.
The 21-year-old songwriter’s latest album is irritating enough to activate the mildest allergy to sincerity.
The production and vocal performances on Pony are considerable steps down from Rex Orange County's previous efforts.
#33 | / | Clash |
#37 | / | Complex |
#43 | / | Gigwise |
#48 | / | NME |
#92 | / | Rough Trade |