Conan Gray - Wishbone

But, where his first two albums leaned heavily on synthpop for its big moments, fourth time around Conan looks to ‘90s radio pop - specifically, the strand which either borrowed popular alternative rock tropes of the time, or formed an indie artist’s solo chart hit. It’s on these tracks that Conan’s angsty melodrama pairs brilliantly: take the hints of ‘Champagne Supernova’ that trickle into ‘Nauseous’, where the song’s emotional crux is given full bombast (“Your love is a threat / And I’m nauseous”); the grunge inflections that elevate the wholly infectious ‘Caramel’; the soft rock strum that saves classic pop opener ‘Actor’ from veering into forced emotion; and the use of gang vocal on ‘4’, which bears striking resemblance to later One Direction material, as well as bearing audible hallmarks of the record’s producer (particularly in the rhythm of its vocal line, and use of smirking spoken word).

Notable too, are ‘Class Clown’, on which a Beatles-esque whirl pairs with vocal repetition in a sweet manner, and ‘Connell’, on which Conan’s jealous streak is represented via a pained vocal that cleverly becomes drowned in dark, layered guitar sounds. But where these elements are missing, the songs threaten mediocrity: see the dated, cloying ‘This Song’; ‘Eleven Eleven’, which is too straightforward in its attempt at emotional climax and thus wholly limp as a result; or ‘My World’, which may aim at Bruce Springsteen in its use of saxophone sounds and twinkles, but falls short into nothingness. If he’s trying things on for size still, then most of ‘Wishbone’ fits Conan Gray rather well, his not-quite-angst meeting its musical equivalent in its not-quite-alternative sound.

Tags: Album Reviews, Reviews, Conan Gray, Island