CONAN GRAY - FOUND HEAVEN
International superstar Conan Gray first found fame on the internet as a teenager. In 2024, the singer songwriter is blossoming into a world-class act, as his unique sound develops with every album. The ‘Heather’ artist has emerged as Gen Z’s king of pop, quickly becoming a household name with each release. Now, his highly anticipated third studio album Found Heaven has landed on earth, and it’s captivated fans across the globe.
The album kicks off with the title track ‘Found Heaven’ – opening with gorgeous vocals similar to that of a choir, and coming in with 80s synths immediately. It sets the perfect tone for the album, perhaps a shift from his earlier music, but nonetheless a unique and theatrical piece which opens the eyes of his listeners. Gray touches on topics of being able to live fully authentically as one, whether that is to please or displease others. The lyrics ‘don’t be scared, little child / You’re no demon’ relates back to a sense of childhood, and the overall sound of the track perhaps sends the listener back to their own childhood and the music that was created back then.
Moving on to ‘Never Ending Song’, this track truly showcases Gray’s duality in his vocals, and capturing that classic 80s tone that kicks off the album. Released as a previous single, the accompanying music video visions the energy from the track perfectly. Full of bright colours and iconic outfits, it’s loud and exciting. Gray truly entered his new era of music with a bang through this track.
A fan favourite of ‘Lonely Dancers’ sounds as an ode to Elton John’s music, packed full of 80s synths and catchy beats, with beautiful vocals scattered within. The tracks are ordered throughout the album which creates an easy listen, with each song drifting into the next. The next track ‘Alley Rose’ is a stand out for me personally. It’s emotional and raw, you can really hear the pure passion Gray has put into this track. The lyrics discuss the topic of a breakup, something that is so full of unexpected emotions that those who have gone through will fully understand. The lyrics ‘the way you kissed me hot and fast / I knew it’d be the last’ seems to show a common theme of breakups, the gut feeling just before. ‘Where’d you go, go, Alley Rose?’ depicts the confusion felt when everything suddenly changes. It’s a beautiful ode to classic tracks from the likes of The Beatles, and it fits perfectly within the album.
‘Miss You’ touches on the common theme of dating and relationships, and starts off with more subdued and slower synths than the previous tracks. Gray described the track on a livestream, stating ‘I was really like, dang, I really fumbled the bag there. Is it bad to say right now that I kinda miss you?’ Moving swiftly into ‘Bourgeoisieses’, this unique track features more talking-style vocals scattered throughout. It’s different to the previous records, but doesn’t in anyway take away from the overall style of the album. It’s groovy rhythm is entirely catchy and very enjoyable, almost in an odd way.
‘Forever With Me’ starts off with a classic piano ballad, gearing up for the epic style throughout the song. It’s more emotional than the rest of the tracks, and in my opinion, is an ode to his earlier songs. As with ‘Alley Rose’ – you can clearly hear Gray’s raw emotions streaming through every word. Coming to the end of the album, ‘Eye Of The Night’ instantly feels like the soundtrack to an iconic movie that we all know. The overall nostalgic sound of the album truly stands out within every track, and Gray has done excellent work to capture the 70s and 80s sound, but with a modern day 2024 edge.
Finally, ‘Killing Me’ and ‘Winner’ are a superb end to a truly epic album that showcases everything that Gray is about as an artist. ‘Killing Me’ is high energy and fun, the ‘I wanna die but you’re keeping me alive / you’re killing me’ repetition is incredible catchy and reflects his strong artistic endeavours as a singer. Ending with ‘Winner’ is truly outstanding. Gray told Rolling Stone that this track spilled out all at once when writing. It depicts moments of heartache in his life, and ends the album on a musical high. Overall, Found Heaven reflects the creativity that Gray set out to achieve, and paints a gorgeous picture of epic anthems in the listeners mind. While each track sounds unique, they work in sync to come together and reflect the nostalgic and modern world of music.
Isabelle Hunter
★★★★★