The third major-studio album by
Oliver Tree
, 2023's
Alone in a Crowd
, finds the California songwriter further balancing his high-concept pop style with songs that feel born out of his own pain and personal experience. A follow-up to 2022's
Cowboy Tears
, the album once again features a conceptual, meta-satirical structure as
Tree
takes on the persona of fashion designer Cornelius Cummings. Conceptual conceits aside,
has long utilized his character-driven approach to explore a mix of emotionally relatable themes, and
is no exception. The opening "Bounce" is a moody, tongue-in-cheeky anthem about the emptiness of hookup culture that hints at the darker themes at play on the album. Other equally yearning songs follow, as on the electro-hip-hop cut "Fairweather Friends" and the piano-driven "Ugly Side," both of which evoke the confessional style of contemporary acts like
Mike Posner
and
Quinn XCII
. Yet there are hooky moments in
's theatrical pop gloom, as on the pop punk-inspired "Star" and house-inflected collaboration with German DJ
Robin Schulz
, "Miss You." ~ Matt Collar