On April 5, the world was graced with yet another album from the amazing artist Conan Gray. His new album “Found Heaven” is exactly what the name says it is: a little slice of 80s pop heaven that truly transports the listener into the world of “Dirty Dancing,” “Back to the Future,” and “The Breakfast Club.”
The album creates a discography that sings to the feelings of sadness, love, and envy, making every song feel like a blast from the past that is perfectly placed in our time now. Gray, who is known for his sad songs like “Heather” and “People Watching,” and also his pop songs such as “Wish You Were Sober” and “Maniac,” blends these two genres perfectly and adds a good helping of 80s sound to create an album that feels like summer and the feeling of riding around on your bike with all your friends ready to go on an adventure.
His strong vocals and lyrical genius makes every song both rhythmically beautiful and lyrically complex. Conan Gray said in an interview that he created this album because he watched “Dirty Dancing” and wanted to live in that world for a little bit after a break up, and I believe that he did that perfectly here, creating an album that both heals heartbreak and relates to it. His standout songs like “Never Ending Song” and “Bourgeoisieses” create a break in the album so the listener can catch their breath and feel like they are in an 80s movie, while his songs like “Alley Rose” and “Found Heaven” bring back Gray’s soul crushing lyrics that we know and love.
This album brings back the notion that a whole album should be cohesive, but also that the individual songs should be able to shine on their own, which they do perfectly here. If you are a fan of Prince, MGMT, or the 80s pop genre in general then I know you will love this album and you should definitely check it out.
