Singer-songwriter Conan Gray’s widely anticipated sophomore album, Superache, was released on June 24, 2022. If you haven’t heard of Conan Gray, he has previously released an EP called Sunset Season and his debut album, Kid Krow. You may have heard his songs “Heather”, “Maniac”, and/or “Memories.”

Superache is a pop album with beautiful vocals, lyricism, and style. It is centered around the themes of love, friendship, and childhood trauma/abuse. Following are the tracks that stood out to me the most on this album:

Track 1: “Movies”

“We go to parties with people you know

We’re holdin’ hands but it’s all just for show

‘Cause Monday through Friday we both barely spoke

They don’t know, they can’t know”

This track touches on the flaws beneath the surface of the narrator’s relationship. On the outside, the relationship seems perfect; however, as the narrator tells us, there are many major problems within the relationship.

Track 4: “Best Friend”

“Who else is gonna grocery shop with me at 2 AM?

Who else will take that picture for you just to get revenge?

You’re just as psycho as me, just as sick inside the head”

This track is written to Conan’s best friend since seventh grade, Ashley. It tells of their unconditional and platonic love, a rare and beautiful thing. In this song, listeners can truly hear Conan’s love for his best friend and how he would do anything for her.

Track 5: “Astronomy”

“Stop trying to keep us alive

You’re pointing at stars in the sky that already died

Stop trying to keep us alive

You can’t force the stars to align when they’ve already died”

“Astronomy” is a song about two young lovers drifting apart when their romance dies out and they both realize that their lover is not the same person they fell in love with anymore. Conan compares this relationship to astronomy, specifically the stars.

Track 8: “Family Line”

“Scattered across my family line

God, I have my father’s eyes

But my sister’s when I cry

I can run, but I can’t hide

From my family line”

This track touches on Conan’s rough and traumatic childhood. He sings about abuse inflicted by his father and how his life has been influenced by the holes in his family life. The concept of family line is that someone can never truly detach from their family, as characteristics existent in their family live on in the person themself.

Track 12: “The Exit”

“Feels like we had matching wounds

But mine’s still black and bruised

And yours is perfectly fine now”

“The Exit”, the final track on Superache, tells the story of two former lovers and their separate pathways after a failed relationship. The narrator observes their past lover in love with someone else, happily moving on as if their relationship never happened. On the other hand, the narrator is still stuck on their broken relationship and the future he believed they would have.

To conclude, Superache by Conan Gray is a beautifully written album that is completely worth listening to. Every track on the album is well written and takes listeners into another world. Definitely give Superache a listen!

-Lam T.