The song “Always” by Rex Orange County was published in his new album “Pony” which released on 10/24/19. His genre is like a indie / alternative pop sound. The gender stereotype around guys for mostly all of history has been that a guy shouldn’t show weak emotions or discuss his feelings because that’s what it means to be a guy. However Rex Orange County steps out of that gender role and talks about how he’s not ok and he he needs to accept that fact himself. He speaks about how there’s always a part of him that’s holding onto his past life and trying to act like everything is ok when it isn’t. He then goes on to say that he is happy with the fact that he is recognizing what he needs to do and he’s on his way to better himself with these lyrics “And now I get to sit down And I’m happy to admit now, I’m on my way It seems I’m not invincible But I’m bored of the pain and I need to explain”. It is now more common for a man to speak about his emotions more openly however some still find issue with that, which is why I think Rex Orange County is stepping outside of the norm by speaking on his issues so intimately. The timbre at the beginning of the song is what caught my attention. It is his vocals layered over each other getting louder and louder till it becomes a loud scream. This instantly made me more attentive to the song because it caught me off guard.