Back in 2020, the album “Kid Crow” was released. There are hardly any teenagers who wouldn’t recognize at least a few songs from the hit album, such as “Heather” and “Maniac.” Ever since then, Conan Gray has put out songs on a streak; the singer mentions in an interview with KIISFM how he writes two to three songs per day and the songwriting process just flows through him. Of all of these songs, only a few made it into the three albums released in his career.

On April 5, 2024, his third album was released: “Found Heaven.” Using  “Never Ending Song” as the lead single, it was clear since the beginning of this new moment of his career that Gray chose to incorporate a 70’s/80’s music style in his album.

That shift is not surprising; the singer has been experimenting with music styles for a while. His first album “Kid Gray” was rooted in pop, with catchy melodies and lyricism on high school love (or the lack thereof), while his second album “Superache” was fully based on the deception of mature love and melancholic rhythm and singing. Now on his third album, the singer has decided to dive into an old rock style, in his personal life as well as his music. This switching of styles between the stages of his career is impossible to miss.

Although all of the songs in the album present the same style, they vary a lot individually; some songs are very upbeat, while others are nothing but harmonic. The songs “Lonely Dancers” and “Never Ending Song” are all upbeat throughout, while “The Final Fight” and “Forever With Me” are mellowly sang, with his voice leading you through the song with a melancholic beat.

The songs do vary melodically, but I couldn’t say that the lyricism of all of them are anything other than depressing. Even the song “Alley Rose,” which Gray has said to be his first “love song,” would make you bluer than the ocean. With lyrics such as “the way you kissed me, hot and fast, I knew it’d be the last” and “don’t leave me hanging alone again,” marking this as a love song is certainly a subjective view.

This album brings up many touching and often relatable topics: the intensity of love, the heartbreak that comes after the intensity, the shame some feel for unsought love, and the closure needed as strongly as love is. This album could be an astonishing experience and it grows the more you listen to it, as it was for me.

Grade: B+