Conan Gray - Wishbone
“Though I won’t miss being your lover, I’m still losing a friend”.
Conan Gray’s musical journey has finally brought him to what I believe is a perfect sound for him. After what I believe was a turn in the wrong direction last year on his third LP, Found Heaven, with its somewhat awkward disco-based soundscape, Gray’s fourth album, Wishbone, released August 15th via Republic, firmly gets his progress as an artist back on track.
The album brings a folk and pop rock-influenced sound, which lends itself perfectly to the gentle, intimate nature of Conan Gray’s presence as an artist. The production on the record is handled by a very high-profile team - alongside frequent collaborator Dan Nigro, who worked on the lion’s share of his first two albums among other work, Gray enlists Ethan Gruska (worked with Phoebe Bridgers, SZA, Lizzy McAlpine & more) and Noah Conrad (ROLE MODEL, Ashe, Niall Horan & more) for several songs, as well as ELVIRA and Luka Closer, the duo behind Addison Rae’s debut album Addison, on the track “Sunset Tower”. This all-star group of producers all bring the record to life in their own unique ways, but don’t sacrifice the project’s cohesion, instead all helping create an airy, shimmering, dreamy atmosphere which is impossible to pull away from throughout the album’s duration.
The main asset of the record, however, is, of course, Conan Gray himself. Wishbone feels like Gray at his most confident and honest musically; the lyrical content throughout the album, as well as the music videos for the singles, lovingly embrace and celebrate the presence and influence of queerness within Conan Gray’s artistry, and it feels like his openness about this part of his identity unchains him completely as a writer. The lyricism is incredibly vulnerable and genuine, with each word choice feeling meticulously intentional, aiming to be as cutting as possible in the phrasing of its imagery and storytelling, and succeeding resoundingly. It shines through in particular on the opener “Actor” and the second single, “Vodka Cranberry”.
The latter also includes quite an impressive vocal performance from Conan, which is a major theme throughout the tracklist. He utilizes several different vocal inflections and deliveries very well, giving the album a great deal of versatility in that department and adds extra charm to the songs. It all works out due to the fine balances that are held between the more understated and gentle parts and the segments where Gray puts more passion and energy into his vocals; there’s no excess of either, making them instead complement each other perfectly.
Overall, Wishbone is comfortably Conan Gray’s best project yet; he feels more assured than ever of who he is as an artist, fits in more naturally than ever with the instrumentals accompanying him, and is at his most mature and skillful as a writer. The producers also do their part amazingly, with this also being Gray’s best album from that standpoint to date. It’s an incredibly compelling and touching record, which reestablishes Conan Gray in his rightful spot as one of the most exciting and talented singer-songwriters of the 2020s.
8.5/10
