For over a decade, Conan Gray has been gifting us all with his music, releasing his fourth studio album “Wishbone” just a few months ago. I have been listening to his music since the beginning, crying along to every album and song, watching his carefully crafted music videos, and even going to see him on tour last year. While it might sound biased, I think Gray is one of the most underappreciated artists of our time, and with “Wishbone” coming out last August, now is a perfect time to get into his music.
Gray’s last album, “Found Heaven,” was only released last year 2024, but while on tour, Gray was silently working on his new music. “Wishbone” stays in his usual genre of pop music, with romantic and personal lyrics that also show off Gray’s impressive vocal range.
One of the most compelling aspects of Gray’s music are his complex and beautiful lyrics. He writes a story that will bring you along with him and make you feel so deeply that they can apply to your own life. For example, in his song “Actor,” he sings about a relationship that ended and pretending like it never happened. My favorite line is “the church bells won’t stop ringing for an undead wedding day,” referring to the lingering sound of a bell representing the unresolved pain from this relationship. Every song in this album is filled with creative and alluring lyrics like this that make Gray’s music so unique and appealing.
If you are still looking for a reason to start listening to Gray, just look at any interview with him. He is funny, quick to respond, and generally a very compelling person, which only makes his music more riveting.
I also want to mention one more standout factor of Gray’s music: his music videos. In interviews, he has talked about how music videos are dying out and how he wants to bring back the artistry, and I think he is absolutely going above and beyond. His three new songs, “This Song,” “Vodka Cranberry,” and “Caramel,” all follow a love story of two people falling in love, falling apart, and always coming back together. While these can be stand alone songs, the music videos connect them all with beautiful acting and visual storytelling that had me crying at the end of each one. I give this album five out of five Big Oles.
