Album Review: Conan Gray Walks Down Kid Krow
The music industry in a tizzy because how do you have a “moment” or push a release in a time of pandemic? Do people, actually, want to stan an artist when they are struggling to stand as a person? Frankly, I think this is a time when more new music is welcomed. My timelines and feeds are filled with “quarantine playlists,” and people seem to be listening more, while becoming highly selective, on what artists they want to hear as the world seemingly goes silent. In this notion, Conan Gray’s debut, Kid Krow, feels pertinent to the times.
From struggles with his mental health and societal identities, Conan Gray sings to the quarantines we have in our brains; the little rooms we enter, by ourselves, to hide and observe our looming fears and blooming dreams. I, often, say this in my reviews, but it is so hard to be human. Frankly, I can’t recall a time when it was easy, and I can, genuinely, declare that I have read history books and not once said, “Yup, that era was non-violent and welcoming to all!” Yet, Conan Gray has built his fandom off of welcome, and his album is a VERY GOOD “Hello!” to a world that feels too filled with goodbyes.
Conan Gray – The Story (Official Video)
Gray’s voice is honey, in part, because it is so breathy. He emotes notes like they are emotional clouds, and, through magic, he is able to climb and sink into them to see what memories fill them. Part of why I love this record, and feel it the perfect one to get many people by, is because it is oddly quiet and pensive. No song feels so big that you are bombarded or have to change it because, honestly, you are not in the mood. Instead, he lulls through tracks “Heather,” “Affluenza,” and “The Story” to comment on himself and a world that is both highly sensitive and kind of numb; as if part of the reason we shut down our hearts comes from an overload of feelings. Hmmm….
Conan Gray – Wish You Were Sober (Official Lyric Video)
In these next few weeks, we are going to fight to have our hearts still opened, and I believe music is the best tool make sure our hearts’ door remains ajar. From folkish to pop, Gray makes his official, music genre: Dreams, and approaches harsh realties with a hopeful imagination. We need that. We need him. For More Information On Conan Gray Kid Krow, which comes out March 20, Ciick Here.
