As an individual who has been listening to his music for years, I was absolutely thrilled to attend Rex Orange County’s Chicago show this past weekend. From seeing nearly every seat in the Huntington Bank Pavilion filled with beaming fans to finishing off the night with an unforgettable encore, Alex (who performs under the stage name “Rex Orange County”) truly gave every single person there a night that they won’t forget any time soon.

Alexander James O’connor is an English singer and songwriter who has risen to fame over the past few years and has become an icon among indie/alternative music fans. In 2017, he became prominent through his multiple features on “Flower Boy”, Tyler, The Creator’s Grammy-nominated album. After his work with Tyler, he gained a massive following and has been growing in popularity ever since.

His music has been described as a blend of hip-hop, jazz, and bedroom pop and is said to have been inspired by many artists he listened to while growing up, such as Queen, ABBA, Green Day, and Stevie Wonder. And, from the music that I have heard from him, this completely resonates. He has such a passion for music and it shows, through his recordings, through his unique sound, and through his perfomances.

When I walked into the venue, I was not surprised to see that an overwhelming majority of the crowd was in their teens and twenties, as this is the demographic that Rex’s music strongly appeals to. I did, however, see a few parents there along with their kids. They seemed to get as into the show as everyone else did, which was awesome.

The Huntington Bank Pavilion is an absoltuely perfect summer venue. The weather was lovely and we all got to enjoy the sunset and a sneak peak of the stage before the show actually started. The set design was so “Rex Orange County”, if that makes sense. It encapsulated his music aesthetically and adorably.

The backdrop was Dalmatian print (in reference to the cover of his latest album) and above the band, huge LED letters were hung that spelled out “Who Cares?”. The stage was adorned with cutouts of thumbs-up positioned hands with smiles, sunglasses, and teadrops on their “faces” as well as huge, colorful cartoon flowers that stood above them, disco balls glittering at their centers.

The vibe he was giving off was almost childlike, like how a kid sees the world through young eyes. And it was VERY heavily inspired by the 2018-indie era in which Rex became TikTok famous. Oh, what a time that was…

Once he stepped out onto the stage, the audience was on cloud nine. He stood onstage for about a minute before he started performing, waiting for the cheering and screaming to die down.

From the first word that came out of his mouth to his final goodbye at the end of the show, Alex gaves us 100% of his energy. His perfoming syle is intimate, casual, and extremely animated. Instead of singing to the crowd, it was as if he was singing with us. It was like being in the car with a friend and singing along to a song that both of us know by heart; belting it out at the top of our lungs like we will never be able to hear it again.

To see an artist live is one thing, but to see someone who, on-stage, sounds exactly like how they sound in their music is a whole different thing. Alex has an outstanding voice, without autotune or anything. It is raw and real and beautiful. It was refreshing to see such a popular and new artist staying true to who they are, despite fame and popularity. He doesn’t try to change himself or his style to appeal to everyone.

Something that stood out to be about his performance was how “into it” he was. He obviously has an incredible passion for music and performing and it shows. But along with this, he seemed very relaxed and at ease while onstage. Little comments in between verses and running around, going absolutely bonkers, during his more fast-paced songs show how much he loves what he does. This is something that is hard to find with newer artists, but Rex orange County has shown us that he loves his music and his fans immensely and truly enjoys what he does.

The crowd itself was a bit dissappointing, in that it was made up of teenagers who like to enjoy music while not enoying it too much, as not to embarass themselves. This sort of dragged the show down for me because Rex was giving us all of his energy, but he wasn’t getting enough of it back from us. Regardless, I was jumping around and screaming along with him despite the almost silence from those around me.

This was my first time seeing Rex Orange County live and it was also the first time that a concert has ever given me literal chills. He performed my favorite song of his, “Television/So Far So Good”, and it gave me actual goosebumps. When the music began to pick up and transition to the more fast paced parts of the song, the lights flashed to the beat and Rex belted the lyrics out from behind his piano.

Although there were many highlights throughout the show that made it spectacular, one moment in particular caught my attention. His most popular song, by far, is a single that he released back in 2017 titled “Best Friend” and when he struck the opening chord on his guitar, the whole pavilion screamed in harmony. He sang the first half of the song as usual but about halfwy through (right before the first chorus), he stopped. He asked the crowd if, for the rest of this particular song, we could put down our phones and “just have fun together”?

Everyone complied and we all experienced the performance through our own eyes, not through a video camera. This was an unexpected surprise and seriously made my night. I actually enjoyed myself more knowing that everyone was existing in the present moment and enjoying a show together. It was so nice to see an artist live in the moment like Rex does. He is an extremely down-to-Earth kind of guy and he doesn’t seem to put on a mask when he is onstage like some other performers.

Once the show concluded, everyone in the crowd stayed for about five miutes after and chanted for Rex to come back out and perform one more song. He eventually did and sang “Pluto Projector”, his number one hit on Spotify and a track off of his third studio album “Pony”. As the sang alone on the dark stage, the entire audience turned their phone flashlights on and waved them around, simulating stars. It was truly an ethereal moment and was a fantastic ending to the night.

As I weaved my way through the massive crowd after the show, I noticed that my head was buzzing. But in a good way. Listening to Rex’s music is freeing. It’s as if you are breathing for the first time after being underwater for a while; you’ve gotten above the surface and the air is sweeter than it has ever been before. And after you listen to it, the aftertaste is just as sweet. You find yourself unable to shake his songs from your head, but you don’t mind. In my opinion, that is the best kind of music. The music that makes you remember to be alive.

If you haven’t already, be sure to give Rex Orange County’s new album “Who Cares?” a listen. Even if you are new to the indie/alt scene or have been a long time fan, I’m sure that you will find something to enjoy about his music.

Whether you are just discovering indie pop or have been a long time listener, you have most likely heard of Dayglow.

Sloan Struble (also known as the indie pop project “Dayglow”) has been releasing music since 2016 and since then, he has gained quite the following. Born in Aledo, Texas, he began his music career at the age of 11 as he taught himself how to play various instruments as well as produce and create music using the app Garageband.

If you go on Spotify and search up anything with the words “indie”, “feel-good”, or “bedroom pop”, his songs will most likely pop up on most of the playlists. His hit track “Can I Call You Tonight?” has over 350 million plays on spotify and is definitely his most popular piece, it having gone viral a few years ago and fans hopping on the Dayglow train not so long after.

Sloan’s music has been described as a blend of alternative and indie pop. He is said to have been inspired by many artists in regards to his own work, such as Michael Jackson, Tame Impala, and The Doobie Brothers.

Last year, he released his second studio album under his current stage identity (he used to release music under the name “kindred”) titled “Harmony House”. After the overwhelming positive traction he gained on his first album, “Fuzzybrain” (2018), “Harmony House” allowed him to continue releasing his music with confidence. The album recieved favorable reviews from critics and was and still is adored by Dayglow fans across the world.

Sloan’s sophomore album gets better every single time that I listen to it. His lyrics flow so well with this sound that he has found for himself, in that they remind audiences of older pop-y love songs like those of George Michael and Bonnie Tyler. This is what makes Dayglow so appealing to a variety of audiences, older and younger. His music exposes young listeners to an earlier sound while keeping with the times while providing a retro and nostalgic air for older ones.

When listening to “Harmony House”, one is reminded of the “cheese of 80’s pop-rock” (as stated by FInlay Holden in an article for Dork Magazine) and is exposed to a sound that lives somewhere between the late 20th century and the early 21st. With the power of synth, the keyboard, and a bit of trumpet, Struble presents us with an eleven-track trip into the world of current and culturally relevant eighties-inspired music.

This new-vintage sound is one of the many things that I love about Dayglow’s music and is why I was pleasantly surprised by a certain post on my Instagram feed.

On Tuesday, June 21st, Dayglow released a new single titled “Then It All Goes Away”. And along with this new song, he announced on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter that he would be releasing a new album on October 7th called “People in Motion”.

Of course, his fans went wild in anticipation for this new release. Dayglow has become such an influential icon for younger generations and has definitely made his mark on the indie music scene.

Personally, I can’t wait for this new release. I’m excited to see what Sloan has been working on since “Harmony House” and how he plans to serenade and surprise us his time. When he released his first single off of HH, people went absolutely wild for his new and improved style. He still kept the same sort of vibe as “Fuzzybrain”, with songs that express confusion with relationships and his attempt to navigate unknown issues, while mixing his sound up a bit.

I’m extremely excited to see what Dayglow has in store for us this fall. Be sure to stream his music on Spotify, iTunes, and Youtube and give “People in Motion” a listen when it debuts on October 7th.

One of my favorite bands in Chicago has to be Beach Bunny. I had fallen in love with a song called “Adulting” a few years ago from their fourth EP “Prom Queen”. I, like many other Gen Z individuals, discovered them through Tik Tok after one of their songs blew up and I’m glad that I did. I have been a huge fan of theirs for a few years now and I probably have 2-3 of their songs on each of my spotify playlists.

I remember in February of 2020 (just before all hell broke loose), I went to an intimate release concert at Reckless Records in Wicker Park for their debut album “Honeymoon”. I remember it distinctly because it was on Valentine’s Day, it was absolutely freezing outside, and how Lili Trifilio (the frontwoman of the band) noticed that my friends and I were dancing when everyone else in the store was just swaying and nodding their heads. She said that she “loved our energy.” Of course, we freaked out about this after we left and we all fawned over our signed posters and merchendise. It was an amazing experience not just because of this little moment, but because of the way that their music makes people feel and how much it affected my friends and I. It made us feel real and normal and seen all at the same time.

In the four songs that have been released ahead of their new album “Emotional Creature” so far, they continue to capture these feelings perfectly. A common theme in Beach Bunny’s music is heartbreak, confusion, relationships, and trying to navigate through all of them. The band has given the album a “space-y” theme, with song names alluding to outer space as well as art, clips, and promotion for the album being related to aliens, foreign planets, and secret missions across the galaxy. This aesthetic seems perfect for the messages they seem to be trying to convey through their songs. The “Final Frontier” is a fantastic setting for the story they are going to tell about new relationships, navigating obstacles, and discovering unknown emotions.

The first song that they released is called “Oxygen” and expresses the tragic realization that you have been metamorphically holding your breath for so long because someone has come into your life and has reminded you that you can breathe. It is definitely one of their more uplifting and freeing songs (they have often been described as a “sad-girl band” by the internet) and adds a breath of fresh air to their discography (pun intended). I attended a concert of theirs at the Riviera this past December, a month or so after the song released, and it was a fantastic track to hear live. It was nice to see everyone burst out screaming when Lili announced that they would play one of their new songs. They have come a long way since I first started listening to them during my freshman year.

The next track released introduced the world to a new sound that we had never really heard from Beach Bunny before. In “Fire Escape”, we are exposed to more power and complexity than we have been by their previous music. The song evokes feelings of comfort and trying to care for the one you love when they are struggling to care for themselves.

I was surprised (and extremely joyful) when I got the notification that they had, in fact, released a third single from “Emotional Creature” called “Karaoke”. This track has slowly grown on me and has actually become one of my favorites from their recent releases. It is tamer and a bit more reserved than the other singles, but the lyrics are nothing short of emotional and thought provoking. Beach Bunny has shown us time and time again that any sound can portray emotion, that a song can display a multitude of feelings all at the same time. Music is meant to bring out the emotion inside of us all and I believe that this is the greatest strength of this band (besides incredible beats and some of the catchiest guitar riffs I have ever heard).

That brings us to today (writing this on 6/14/22), when I opened spotify to see that A FOURTH single had been gifted to me by my favorite Chicago power-punk band. They have been extremely generous in giving their fanbase and community a plethora of new music, although it might have been nice to be able to have a whole new album in July rather than just half of one. The latest single that the band has released is titled “Entropy” and I’ve probably listened to it about twenty times already. It is a beautiful message that expresses the anxieties that bloom at the beginning of a new relationship and the blissful aftermath after that fear has dissolved. This song, like “Fire Escape”, gives us a peek into the new sound that the band has been constructing since their last EP (Blame Game).

Overall, the tracks that we have recieved so far have given us a delectable taste of what Beach Bunny has in store for us this July.

Be sure to give “Emotional Creature” a listen when it debuts on July 22nd everywhere (availible to stream and buy; hard copies will be availible for purchase as well). I’m sure that it will be nothing short of astronomical.