Last week, singer-songwriter Conan Gray released his third studio album, “Found Heaven.” Released on Friday, April 5, “Found Heaven” provides a different sound from Gray’s previous work, taking heavy inspiration from the 1970s and ’80s. Let’s get into it.
One of the strongest features of the album is its title. The phrase “Found Heaven” has a clever double meaning. On one hand, it represents the feeling of bliss that comes with venturing into a new relationship. On the other hand, it represents a way of saying someone has died, dancing around the language by saying, “They’ve found heaven.” This double meaning encapsulates the duality of love. Gray’s album features songs with multiple representations of love: the good, the bad and everything in between. The title helps pull together the album in a cohesive way.
Gray was not afraid to take risks for this album. Not only did he switch up the genre, but he also played around with other aspects of the music as well. One example is the bridge to “Alley Rose,” where he speeds up the tempo to create a greater contrast to the rest of the song. Other examples can be found at the end of “Forever With Me” and “Eye of the Night,” where he adds key changes to hit them home. Another point of contrast from his other albums comes with Gray’s vocal range. While he often stuck to his impressive high range on his previous songs, he embraces the deeper range of his voice on “Found Heaven.” The various unexpected changes found within the album melt my music nerd heart.
The changes in Gray’s sound can be attributed to the changes he experienced while making the album. He went through his first real breakup, which led him to experience his emotions in ways he never had before. However, as “Forever With Me” describes, he is glad for the experience, as it gave him a chance to learn and grow. His growth as a person shaped his growth as a musician, and he has the album to show for it.
The album starts off strong with the title track, “Found Heaven.” The track features layers of Gray’s voice in a church choir sound before adding in a heavy power bass. It gives a great exposition to the many complex layers of love found throughout the rest of the album and has been on repeat for me since the album’s debut.
One song I also found to represent the vibes of the album is the fourth track, “Lonely Dancers.” Gray sings about how after a breakup, he finds himself wanting to dance with someone random just so he’s not alone. While a similar sentiment can be found in the track “Fainted Love,” there’s something about the repetition and simplicity of “Lonely Dancers” that showcases the awkward feeling of pretending you’re happy and dancing through pain.
My favorite song as of right now is the fifth track, “Alley Rose.” It features more of Gray’s familiar high notes and has a lighter sound than the other songs on the album. He sings about his confusion of why his love left and his grief over their relationship. It feels way more raw than the other songs, and its gentle sound is what makes it so powerful.
A more lighthearted song on the album is “Bourgeoisieses.” The song portrays a satirical desire to be rich and carefree. Gray explains that while he desired this when he was younger, he grew up to realize that the rich life is not as glamorous as it was made out to be. Gray yells the lyrics in a heavy tone as if he were an entitled billionaire, poking fun at the idea that the super-rich think they are elite when really, they can be stuck up and undesirable company.
Perhaps the most crushing song on the album is its closing track, “Winner.” Gray sings of someone who hurt him so deeply that they take the cake for hurting him more than anyone else in his life. This song shows the deep pain that can come when someone who claims to love you treats you terribly. Closing out the album with this song really hits home the painful side of love that Gray sings about throughout the album.
Overall, “Found Heaven” is a standout from anything Gray’s ever done before. If you’re a fan of his work or are looking to get into some new music, I recommend giving “Found Heaven” a listen; you won’t regret it.
Rating: 5/5