By Andrew Hsieh
Conan Gray released his sophomore album, ‘Superache,’ which expresses the coming and going of relationships, good and bad, through various ballads and sad pop songs.
“Superache,” unlike Gray’s debut album “Kid Krow” consists of a greater range of Gray’s voice; the songs allow Gray to showcase his talent and give a more raw feeling.
The first track on the album, “Movies,” is a hard-hitting ballad, where Gray uses a guitar and his voice to describe the feeling of imagining a perfect relationship but knowing what he has is nothing like what is seen in movies. The beauty of this song is that its dramatic feel makes it seem like a love song, but when you pay closer attention you realize it’s all just an imagination.
After “People Watching,” the second track, which is about feeling jealous of other people’s relationships, “Disaster,” the third track on “Superache,” brings some pop to the album. This song, while uptempo, is really about how everything could fall apart when you try to get into a romantic relationship. It’s a great song for feeling reckless but still following through with something.
One of the other uplifting songs on the album is the fourth track, “Best Friend,” a sweet song about a platonic relationship that will last forever. It makes you think about your closest friends and their unconditional love.
“Family Line,” the eighth track, broadens Gray’s musical portfolio. It is Gray’s first song about his family and tells a dramatic, emotional story through a deep chorus and raw verses. Not only is this song perfect for those who’ve experienced similar family issues as Gray, but others can also sympathize with him.
In “Summer Child,” the ninth track, Gray sings in a deeper tone and, through a very slow and emotional ballad, writes about a friend who he knows is actually not as happy as they may seem on the outside. Knowing why Gray wrote this song, makes it that much more appreciable. “Summer Child” is an emotional and sweet call to a friend in need.
The tenth track, “Footnote,” is about wanting to be with someone who continues to push you away. The sounds of “Footnote,” resembles that of “Astronomy,” the fifth track on the album, because of Gray’s soft yet heartfelt voice and a guitar throughout the whole song. Both “Footnote” and “Astronomy” are songs for those who feel like they don’t have what they want in a relationship.
Gray symbolically finishes the album with the twelfth track, “The Exit.” The last song on the album is about a past relationship in which an ex has moved on, while you’re still reminiscing on the memories. While you don’t have to relate to the experiences in the lyrics, this song is for those reminiscing on past memories.
“People Watching,” “Astronomy,” “Yours,” “Jigsaw” and “Memories” were released separately, leading up to the album, and also tell various stories about relationships past, present and future.
Some of the more relatable songs in the album include, “People Watching,” “Disaster,” “Best Friend,” “Summer Child” and “The Exit.”
“Superache” progresses from a naive, optimistic beginning of a relationship, to the reminiscent and moving-on after the end of a relationship. This allows listeners to pick out their favorite songs, based on how they feel about their own relationships.
