Alex O’Connor, known by his stage name, Rex Orange County, recently released Pony on October 25, 2019, providing a simplistic, carefree musical style to listeners.

Pony is the third studio album O’Connor has released, following the breakout successes of Apricot Princess in 2017 and bcos u will never b free in 2016. Both albums exhibited an angsty, soulful performance from the artist, but Pony allows for O’Connor to experiment with a new musical palette.

Rex Orange County has been known for his lively indie sound that fits perfectly in with his recurring jazz-pop melodies. The childlike, dreamy feeling of Pony comes to life in songs like ‘Always’ and ‘Pluto Projector’, showcasing a more vulnerable side to O’Connor. The album incorporates electric piano, bubbly synths, ringing bells, strings, bird chirps, and O’Connor’s quavering yet prominent vocals.

On ‘Pony’, a collection of 10 songs shows O’Connor’s experience with being young and in love as well as the pains and joys of growing up. The first few songs on the track speak of gloomy, heavy topics, such as in “Never Had the Balls”, where O’Connor expresses what he wasn’t able to say to someone at the time. On the second half of the album however, O’Connor uses uplifting melodies and hopeful messages to help teach his listeners that there is always a way to move forward.

On my personal favorite track, “It Gets Better”, O’Connor sings, “Four years later/Look where we really are/Look how far we’ve come.” He speaks strongly on the topic of growing older and wiser, not just through himself but through his experiences that he has with others.