Released: April 5
Returning with his strongest, most assured work to date, Conan Gray triumphs with his third studio album, ‘Found Heaven’.
The 13-song set sees the US star work with producers including Max Martin, Greg Kurstin and Shawn Everett, among others, for a collection that ushers in a new era for the singer-songwriter and former YouTuber.
Deviating from the largely stripped-back, mid-tempo sounds of his first two records, ‘Found Heaven’ opens with reverberating choir vocals before launching into the synth-laden title song, signposting what’s to come.
A run of superb pre-release singles are representative of the LP as a whole; Killing Me documents his evolution, from its acoustic piano opening through a pulsing electronic crescendo, while layered harmonies on Lonely Dancers create an intimacy in a bold soundscape that adds a new dimension to his sound.
Tapping into an ‘80s-inspired soundscape that’s proven popular in recent years, tracks such as the epic, cinematic Fainted Love, clubby, atmospheric Miss You, and brilliantly bouncy Bourgeoisieses are instant highlights from the set.
An artist who has amassed several big-name fans along the way, Gray pays homage to numerous idols on ‘Found Heaven’, with the single Alley Rose heavy with the influence of Elton John – who named the star as one of the premier songwriters creating music today – and Forever With Me wouldn’t sound out of place in Queen’s songbook, with a touch of Freddie Mercury in his delivery.
Boys & Girls has echoes of Duran Duran’s Girls On Film, underpinned by a slick electronic production, while the soaring, classic pop-rock sound of Eye Of The Night, complete with a huge key change, is timeless. Closing with the vulnerable single Winner – a celebration of the freedom that comes with accepting defeat – it’s ironic for a project that, by all accounts, is not only a defining album in Gray’s career, but one of the finest records we’ve heard in a long time.
