Conan Gray deals in heartbreak. His most popular songs, including “Heather,” “Maniac” and “Memories” revolve around themes of betrayal, longing and really, any sort of romantic misery that can be put into song. In his fourth album, “Found Heaven,” released on April 5, Mr. Gray branches out — he attempts to explore themes of ecstasy, desire and the complexities of young adulthood with an ’80s-inspired aesthetic quite different from his past work.
While many of the songs achieve their purpose in conveying catchy vintage tunes and putting emotion into lyrics, the album as a whole has a slight messiness, like Mr. Gray didn’t know exactly the energy he was seeking and thus tried to incorporate several different things that don’t always work well together.
The first sound of “Found Heaven,” the album’s first and title track, is a church choir. The gospel vocals linger for a few seconds with lyrics: “No God above us, / Can we repent this sin? / No soul is innocent, / Everybody wants to love.” Then, Mr. Gray slashes through them with the line: “You walk alone into the darkest night, / you’ll never sleep until you’re satisfied.”
In this song and many of the others in the album, Mr. Gray’s vocals are considerably impressive. For a 25-year-old singer with only four studio albums, his voice has an exceptional range that’s normally only seen in artists significantly older and more experienced. He goes from low and scratched to sweet and smooth in seconds — and while the vocal choices Gray makes don’t always fully pan out, his talent shines through the album in countless places.
However, in many instances, the song’s instrumentals become repetitive and overused, namely in the faster and more upbeat songs like “Lonely Dancers.” The fourth track is filled with miserable lyrics that explore the same themes as Gray’s previous work, but with them comes an upbeat, vintage melody that, while catchy in a pop sort of way, becomes abrasive after several listens. There’s something stiff, empty even, about the constant synth riffs — and many of the more danceable songs on the album feel confused in their moods and slightly hectic to listen to.
The breakout song of the album is the eighth track, “Bourgeoisieses.” It explores the desires of a self-proclaimed “low-class” man, assumed to be Mr. Gray himself, wishing he could assimilate himself among the higher class, which he humorously dubs the “bourgeoisieses.” Gray describes the aspiration with lines like, “They cheat on wives, never pay the price, / I’m a low-class guy, that sounds pretty nice.” The song has a catchiness that’s hard to resist, and the energy clashes with the somewhat depressing lyrics, making for an exciting and upbeat listening experience.
Mr. Gray is still evolving as all artists do, particularly when they’re young and starting out. But “Found Heaven” marks a turning point in his artistic career. While the album itself is flawed in its organization and execution, his undeniable talent points to a future of more growth, and likely more complex themes and sounds in his music.
