At 26, singer-songwriter Conan Gray is breaking hearts and offering self-reflection with his newest album, “Wishbone.” Released August 15, Gray drew inspiration from the past two years of his life to craft a well-rounded, touching addition to his discography.
“Actor” opens the album with its heavy guitar presence, alongside heartbreak. Throughout this almost four minute track, Gray reflects on the end of a relationship that was kept a secret. He sets the scene perfectly in the first verse, “And nobody saw us leaving bruises on our necks / In a summer spent in a coat check.” Gray specifically strikes a chord with his LGBTQ+ audience as he sings through the tear-jerking story of an all too similar situation.
As usual, Gray loves to end a track on a strong note, he sings, “You pretend nothing happened, I believe / ‘Cause you’re a much better actor.” This verse is similar to the others fans hear in the song, but with the slightest modifications, the whole meaning of the song comes to a close. In the previous pre-chorus’ Gray writes how he agrees that nothing happened, “You pretend nothing happened, I agree.” But with the last verse, he falls for the acting his love-affair is portraying, leading him to believe nothing truly happened.
From a forceful heartbreak to intentional, “Vodka Cranberry,” is a punch to the gut as Gray comes to the realization that he may have to end a relationship after the connection has slowly drifted off. The track builds ever so slightly up to the exciting bridge where Gray is confirming he will end things. In the backing, listeners can hear whispering, “Don’t make me do this to you” underneath the deafening lyrics of “I will.”
It is no surprise Gray is not afraid of being honest and staying true to his lyrics. He sets the perfect example on the track, “Nauseous.” He opens up about past trauma taking an effect on his ability to love. Despite being a loving person, he expects his love interest to take a turn, because that’s all he knows. During the bridge, Gray sings how it may take years to have trust in a love interest, but since he was a kid, he never learned how to love correctly. This track cuts deep and may be one of the most hurtful songs on the album.
“Connell,” is another track that sits with the audience. This track tackles Gray’s struggle of being invested in a relationship, even when the other person is lacking in effort. In today’s dating age, unfortunately, many young adults might be able to fully resonate with this track. Throughout the song, Gray describes how heartbroken he was when he saw someone get everything he wanted in a relationship, but he got nothing.
Gray sings in the final chorus, “Yeah, you remind me of my father slurring words / So, you remind me of how little I deserve.” Which suggests Gray’s lover puts the same effect on him as his drunken father did, who Gray mentions often in his music. The track ends with repetition of the name, “Connell,” however as he repeats the name, his words slowly become slurred. Many rumors have been circling social media about whether this is in relation to his drunken father, or if Gray is referencing the book “Normal People” by Sally Rooney.
Unlike the slow moving ballad, “Connell,” the predecessor on the album, “Caramel,” has hard hitting lyrics and an energetic opening. Gray can’t seem to shake the memories off his shoulders from a past relationship throughout this song. While “Sunset Tower” shows Gray’s anger towards an ex moving on, he is still hung up on them. He repeats, “Don’t tell me,” in the chorus, hinting that Gray may be in denial that his ex has moved on already.
Apart from relationships, “Class Clown,” introduces self-reflection to the album. He sings, “Everything comes back around / I still feel like the class clown,” as Gray realizes that he has never gotten rid of the elementary phrase. Unfortunately, he still feels out of place in his life, despite having fully grown up.
Gray powerfully ends his album with, “Care.” The instrumental heavy track explores the weird feeling of being over someone, while also still caring for them. This track feels like a mix of all the emotions in the album combined into one song—like a compromise in a way. He confidently ends with, “But I don’t cry ’cause it is over / I just don’t feel like I could love again / And I tell myself that I’m over you / But I care, I care, care.”
Every time Gray releases a new album, fans clench their hearts, and that expectation lives to be true once again. The honest emotions expressed in this album seem almost like a universal experience to many fans, which Gray has beautifully put into words for those who can’t.
