Lean into the mellow (and the melodramatic) with Conan Gray’s Superache.
Album Title: Superache
Artist: Conan Gray
Record label: Republic Records
Release date: 2022
Genre(s): Pop, dance-pop, synth-pop
Available format(s): Streaming, CD
Interest level: I would personally recommend this album to listeners age 15 and up.
Summary: Superache is true to its name and evokes plenty of yearning, heartbreak, trauma, regret, and self-doubt in its 12 songs.
The tracks “Movies,” and “People Watching,” long for a partner, and “Yours” and “Footnote” lament being on the periphery of a love interest’s gaze. Still, not all of the songs describe romantic love; “Best Friend” aptly describes a strong platonic relationship and “Family Line” is a song about generational trauma.
The full tracklist:
Movies
People Watching
Disaster
Best Friend
Astronomy
Yours
Jigsaw
Family Line
Summer Child
Footnote
Memories
The Exit
About the artist: Born in 1998, Gray has lived in California, Japan, and Texas and grew up in a family of mixed Irish and Japanese ancestry. At age 15, he began posting a mix of lifestyle content as well as samples of his original music to his YouTube channel. In 2018, at age 20, he released some of those original songs on an EP titled Sunset Season. His full-length debut album, Kid Krow, made the Billboard 200 and earned praise from industry icons like Taylor Swift and Elton John, and his sophomore album, Superache has been similarly critically acclaimed.
Critical review: My younger (Gen Z) sibling has long been a fan of Gray’s, having followed his YouTube channel when they were still in high school.
As Gray entered the music industry, my sibling remained a fan, and while I’ve heard a few songs over the years through their insistence, this was my opportunity to listen to the entirety of his most recent album with intent and concentration. And I loved it! Perhaps because my sibling and I have come from a well-adjusted family and consider ourselves to have healthy relationships with our parents, I was most moved by the song “Family Line” because it described an experience completely unknown to me with precision and vulnerability.
Related programming ideas: Conan is known for his charismatic, passionate, and dramatic performances of his music and I think a themed karaoke night spanning his choreography could be great fun!
Brief pitch: Lean into the mellow (and the melodramatic) with Conan Gray’s Superache, a synth-pop album about all the different kinds of heartbreak a person can experience.
Potential challenges: Some songs contain profanity, and these might be censored if aired on the radio.
Reason for inclusion: Like Maisie Peters’ sophomore album The Good Witch, Superache is also likely to appeal to teens struggling with heartbreak.
Check this out: Start listening now!
References:
Collar, M. (n.d.). Conan Gray biography by Matt Collar. AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/conan-gray-mn0003782576/biography
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