If there’s one artist who managed to turn bedroom-pop vulnerability into something that genuinely resonates with millions, it’s Rex Orange County. Born Alexander James O’Connor in Haslemere, England, this multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and self-taught producer has carved out a sound that sits somewhere between indie pop, jazz-inflected soul, and lo-fi emotional honesty. From uploading tracks from his childhood bedroom to selling out Radio City Music Hall, his journey is nothing short of remarkable. These best Rex Orange County songs span his entire discography — from the raw early recordings to the polished, layered productions of his later albums — and every single one of them earns its place here.
Before diving in, if you’re serious about experiencing these tracks the way they deserve to be heard, check out these compare headphones options to find the right pair for Alex’s warm, textured productions.
Pluto Projector
There are songs that hit you once and fade, and then there are songs like “Pluto Projector.” Released on his 2019 album Pony, this track is arguably the most emotionally layered thing Rex Orange County has ever recorded. The song opens with a sparse, searching piano melody before building into lush orchestral strings — an arrangement that feels genuinely cinematic, like watching your own memories play back in slow motion. Alex’s vocal performance here is restrained but devastating, navigating themes of love, self-doubt, and the fear of losing someone with a tenderness that cuts deep. On headphones, the stereo separation in the strings and the subtle breath between phrases becomes almost unbearably intimate. It’s no wonder this track regularly appears on “most emotional song ever” threads across social media.
Loving Is Easy
“Loving Is Easy” remains one of the most purely joyful songs Rex Orange County has put to tape. Co-written and featuring Benny Slade, this gem captures the uncomplicated warmth of being in love with an efficiency that most artists spend entire albums chasing. The production is bright and breezy — skipping percussion, layered “aah” harmonies, and a melody so naturally catchy it feels like you’ve known it your whole life. What’s remarkable is how the song earns its optimism without ever feeling saccharine; there’s a grounded simplicity to the songwriting that keeps it from tipping into cliché. Blasting this one in the car with the windows down is one of those listening experiences that genuinely improves your day.
Television / So Far So Good
From his 2022 album Who Cares?, “Television / So Far So Good” functions as two distinct pieces stitched together, and the transition between them is one of the most satisfying moments in his catalog. The first half rides a funky, guitar-driven groove with punchy brass hits — Alex sounding loose and confident in a way that signals real artistic growth. Then the second half opens up into something more expansive and reflective, where the production breathes and the emotional weight settles in. It works beautifully as a statement of intent for Who Cares? — an album that wanted to capture the energy of a live band rather than a solo bedroom project. Listening back, it’s clear this track was recorded with real room sound in mind, and it shows.
AMAZING
“AMAZING” from Who Cares? is Rex Orange County at his most extroverted, and honestly? It’s infectious. The track leans into a strutting, almost theatrical energy — big drums, punchy guitar riffs, and a vocal delivery that swings between playful and genuinely emotional. What makes it work is that underneath the bombast, there’s a real lyrical sincerity about wanting to be seen and appreciated by someone. The bridge in particular is a standout moment, where everything momentarily quiets before the chorus lands again with renewed force. It’s the kind of song that plays differently depending on your mood — pure celebration one day, bittersweet longing the next.
THE SHADE
“THE SHADE,” also from Who Cares?, is one of those tracks that rewards repeated listens. On the surface, it’s a gloriously hooky indie-pop song with a melody that lodges itself in your brain immediately. But lyrically, Alex is working through something more nuanced — addressing feelings of being underestimated or dismissed — and the contrast between that message and the song’s warm, almost carefree production creates a genuinely interesting tension. The guitar work throughout is particularly lovely, with a chord progression that has just enough jazz influence to keep it from feeling predictable. It’s a track that sounds casual but reveals its craft slowly.
Corduroy Dreams
“Corduroy Dreams” comes from his earliest release, Bcos U Will Never B Free (2015), and it remains one of the most beloved tracks in his entire catalog despite its lo-fi origins. The production is intentionally rough — thin drums, a slightly-too-bright piano, vocals that sit close and unprocessed — and that rawness is precisely what gives the song its power. Lyrically, it deals with the particular ache of nostalgia and the way time changes relationships in ways you can’t quite articulate. For many longtime fans, this was the song that introduced them to Alex’s world, and there’s something genuinely moving about returning to it after hearing how far his production has evolved. It holds up completely.
10/10
From Pony (2019), “10/10” is one of those songs that manages to feel simultaneously universal and oddly specific. The track is a love declaration built around one of the most satisfying chord progressions in his catalog — a warm, rolling piano figure that seems to wrap around the listener. Alex’s vocal melody here is particularly strong, with a conversational quality that makes the lyrics feel like something a real person would actually say rather than something engineered for streaming. The production, while fuller than his earlier work, still retains a personal, intimate quality. It’s the kind of song you’d put on a playlist for someone you care about and not need to explain.
It’s Not The Same Anymore
“It’s Not The Same Anymore” from Pony is one of the most emotionally mature things Rex Orange County has recorded. Where some of his songs ease you into difficult feelings through melodic warmth, this track is more direct — a meditation on how relationships shift and how you navigate that grief in real time. The production strips back considerably compared to some of the album’s more orchestral moments, letting the lyrical weight carry the track. Alex’s vocal phrasing is careful and deliberate, landing each line with the kind of timing that makes you feel the emotional punch before your brain fully processes the words. On a good pair of earbuds, the dynamic range on this track is genuinely impressive — find the right options through these compare earbuds recommendations.
ONE IN A MILLION
“ONE IN A MILLION” is one of the quieter highlights from Who Cares?, and it tends to be the track that fans mention when they talk about how the album rewards patient listening. Musically, it’s built around a deceptively simple chord progression that Alex embellishes with subtle harmonic choices throughout. The song functions as a reassurance — the kind of thing you’d want someone to say to you when you’re feeling irreplaceable but unsure — and the warmth of the vocal performance makes that message feel completely credible. It’s not a flashy track, but it has a lasting quality that a lot of bigger-sounding songs simply don’t.
KEEP IT UP
Another standout from Who Cares?, “KEEP IT UP” is Rex Orange County channeling something genuinely encouraging. The song has an almost anthemic quality in its chorus — not in a stadium-rock sense, but in the way a well-placed key change lifts the emotional ceiling of a room. Lyrically, it’s about perseverance through self-doubt, a theme that Alex has always handled with more nuance than the typical motivational track. The arrangement is particularly interesting here: layers of guitar, keys, and background vocals that collectively create something warm and enveloping without ever feeling cluttered.
Best Friend
“Best Friend,” captured beautifully on the Live at Radio City Music Hall recording from 2020, takes on a different dimension in that context. On record, it’s a searching, emotionally open song about wanting closeness and connection — a deceptively complex piece of songwriting wrapped in an approachable melody. But live? The way the Radio City recording captures the audience’s response to certain lyrical moments is genuinely moving, a reminder of how deeply this artist connects with his fanbase. The production on the studio version is immaculate, but there’s an argument to be made that the live version is the definitive one.
Happiness
From Apricot Princess (2017), “Happiness” is one of the most musically sophisticated things young Alex had recorded up to that point. The chord voicings throughout have a jazz-adjacent quality that elevates the production well beyond the average bedroom pop release, and the melody line feels genuinely composed rather than stumbled upon. Lyrically, it grapples with the paradox of knowing what should make you happy while struggling to feel it — a tension that resonates with basically everyone who’s been through a difficult emotional period. The layered vocal harmonies in the final section are particularly beautiful, giving the track a euphoric lift that feels hard-won rather than easy.
Sunflower
“Sunflower,” another track best experienced via the Live at Radio City Music Hall recording, captures something essential about Rex Orange County’s appeal: the ability to hold joy and longing in the same breath. Instrumentally, the track builds around a gentle, circular guitar figure that feels both grounding and slightly melancholy. Alex’s vocals carry that particular quality he has — sounding both young and old-souled simultaneously — and the lyrical imagery is vivid enough to conjure a specific emotional setting without over-explaining it. It’s a song that different listeners will map entirely different memories onto, which is the mark of genuinely universal songwriting.
MAKING TIME
“MAKING TIME” from Who Cares? is one of the album’s most genuinely reflective moments. The song deals with something quietly painful: the experience of time passing and relationships not getting the attention they deserve. What’s interesting production-wise is how the track seems to move through different emotional gears — starting contemplative, building into something more urgent, then resolving in a way that feels neither triumphant nor defeated, just honest. Alex’s piano playing throughout is notably expressive, and this is one of those songs where the instrumental performance feels as communicative as the lyrics.
OPEN A WINDOW
There’s something almost physically refreshing about “OPEN A WINDOW.” From Who Cares?, it has a lightness to it that contrasts effectively with some of the heavier emotional content elsewhere on the album. The production is airy and spacious — room for the instruments to breathe and interact naturally — and the melody has a slight groove to it that makes the track work as something you’d put on while moving around rather than just sitting and feeling. Lyrically, it functions as a kind of plea for clarity and perspective, which is a mood that lands differently depending on what you’re going through when you hit play.
Always
From Pony (2019), “Always” deals with one of the oldest songwriting subjects — the promise of permanence in an impermanent world — and finds a way to make it feel fresh. The production is warm and mid-tempo, with piano and guitar working together in a way that feels conversational rather than formal. Alex’s vocal delivery here is particularly expressive, hitting moments of real emotional urgency before pulling back into something more tender. For fans exploring his catalog, this is a reliable entry point that demonstrates the full range of what he does best. You can find more songs like this in our broader songs catalog coverage.
Face to Face
“Face to Face” from Pony is one of those songs that captures the particular vulnerability of wanting to communicate something important to someone and not quite being able to find the words. The production is intimate and uncluttered, which suits the emotional directness of the lyrics. Alex’s voice throughout has that quality of someone genuinely working something out in real time rather than delivering a polished performance, which is part of what makes his songwriting feel authentic rather than manufactured. The guitar work in the second half is lovely — understated and expressive.
IF YOU WANT IT
“IF YOU WANT IT” from Who Cares? has a generosity of spirit that’s hard not to respond to. Musically, it’s built around a chord progression that keeps cycling back with slight variations — a technique that creates a sense of gentle inevitability that suits the lyrical theme of offering yourself to someone without reservation. The vocal harmonies layered through the chorus are particularly effective, giving the declaration more weight than a single voice alone could carry. It’s a track that rewards quiet listening, where the subtle production details — the way certain notes ring and decay, the slight reverb on the background vocals — become more apparent and more moving.
THREAT
“THREAT” (2022 single) is one of the more surprising entries in Rex Orange County’s discography, leaning into a slightly more confrontational energy than most of his catalog. There’s a wry self-awareness to the lyrics that sits alongside genuine emotion — the kind of tonal balance that’s hard to pull off without it feeling confused, but Alex manages it with real skill. The production has a slightly grittier texture than the cleaner sounds of Who Cares?, and that rougher edge suits the song’s emotional content well. It’s a track that expands what listeners think he’s capable of, which is always exciting to hear from a developing artist.
WORTH IT
“WORTH IT” from Who Cares? is the kind of closing statement that makes you want to immediately restart an album from the beginning. The song synthesizes a lot of what the album has been working through — the questions about value, effort, and emotional labor in relationships — and arrives at something that isn’t quite resolution but feels like genuine peace with uncertainty. The production is full and warm, with the band sound that characterized much of Who Cares? at its most realized. Alex’s vocal performance is generous and open, making you feel like the song is addressed directly to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is Rex Orange County?
Rex Orange County occupies a genuinely interesting space between indie pop, bedroom pop, jazz-influenced soul, and lo-fi singer-songwriter music. His early work was much closer to classic bedroom pop aesthetics — intimate, slightly rough-around-the-edges, emotionally direct — while later albums like Who Cares? moved toward a fuller live-band sound with more pronounced jazz influences in the chord structures and arrangements. He’s consistently defied easy genre labeling, which is part of what makes his catalog so interesting to dig into.
What is Rex Orange County’s most popular song?
“Loving Is Easy” and “Pluto Projector” are consistently his most-streamed and most-recognized tracks globally, with “Loving Is Easy” in particular reaching enormous audiences through playlist placements and social media. However, among dedicated fans, “Pluto Projector” tends to be cited as the essential Rex Orange County listening experience — the track that most completely captures what he does at his most emotionally ambitious.
What album should I start with for Rex Orange County?
Pony (2019) is the most commonly recommended starting point because it represents his most fully realized production work while maintaining the emotional intimacy of his earlier recordings. From there, moving backwards to Apricot Princess (2017) to hear where his sensibility was developing, and then forward to Who Cares? (2022) to hear the live-band evolution, gives you a solid sense of the full artistic arc.
Did Rex Orange County write all his own songs?
Yes, Alex O’Connor writes his own material and produces much of his own work. He began recording in his childhood bedroom and has been central to the production of all his albums, which gives his catalog a remarkable consistency of vision across releases. His self-production approach is a significant part of what makes his sound identifiable — every decision in the mix reflects his own aesthetic instincts rather than a hired producer’s interpretation.
Has Rex Orange County performed live internationally?
Yes, extensively. His 2020 live recording at Radio City Music Hall in New York City — released as Live at Radio City Music Hall — stands as documentation of one of his most celebrated performances and demonstrates how effectively his music translates to a large live setting. He has toured across Europe, North America, and beyond, with his live shows noted for their emotional immediacy and the quality of his live band arrangements.
Is Rex Orange County connected to Tyler, the Creator?
Yes — Alex O’Connor appeared on Tyler, the Creator’s landmark 2017 album Flower Boy, contributing vocals to “Boredom,” a track that introduced him to a much wider audience. That collaboration with one of the most respected creative figures in contemporary music was a significant moment in Rex Orange County’s early career and helped build the transatlantic fanbase that has supported his subsequent albums.