Music Recommendation Time: Conan Gray
Posted on August 14, 2020 Posted by Athena Scalzi 13 Comments
For the past three months, I’ve been listening to a relatively new artist named Conan Gray. And when I say listening, I mean playing over and over and over again. So if you’re wondering what the cool kids are listening to nowadays, here’s some of my favorite songs of his.
This is my all-time favorite of his, and also the only one I’ve ever heard on the radio, though that was on SiriusXM, I’m not sure if it’s ever played on the actual radio.
Since this one is second, you can probably guess that this is my second favorite! I really love the message of this song, especially since I’m straight edge, I feel like it really hits different, y’know?
I like this one a lot because it’s slower and softer than some of his other songs, and I just really like the word choices for some of the lyrics in it.
This one in particular is just kinda fun, it’s not like as amazing as the other ones by any means, but I like it, I think it’s a little silly and I really like the vibe.
So there you go! I hope you enjoy a couple of these songs and I implore you to check out some of his other stuff. He doesn’t have a whole lot out since he’s pretty new, but I haven’t heard anything by him that I don’t like. And as always, I hope you have a great day!
-AMS
I’ll give this a listen (though I am far outside the realm of cool kids).
Can I just add? I lament the long lost indiecrit site. I got a lot of awesome music from that site. Like Sarah Harmer. And Jenny Bruce. (My wife once told me, about her first release, that she “loved every song on that album.”
If you decided to pick up that mantle and run with it, well, that is, as far as I know, and unfilled niche. It won’t be me. But someone ought to fill it.
[Deleted because it’s clearly in the wrong thread. Go ahead and repost in the correct thread, catfriend99 — JS]
That’s pretty cool, thanks Athena — buying now…
Since I’m neither cool nor a kid, I took a listen to see what they’re about.
Huh. Keep ’em coming. Might have a chance to widen my musical tastes….
I’m impressed with the vocal style and skill – smooth glissandos with interesting turns and pitch control as accurate as my ear discerns, especially on the third one. The lyrics don’t hit me straight-on, though… after 54.5 years of marriage I don’t really understand dating at that level. Thanks for the share
This line of yours struck me:
This is my all-time favorite of his, and also the only one I’ve ever heard on the radio, though that was on SiriusXM, I’m not sure if it’s ever played on the actual radio.
Ah, yes, the “actual radio.” Over the last few years I’ve been thinking about how whether something shows up on the “actual radio” seems to matter less and less. I know that I don’t find the music *I* listen to by tuning into a radio station, and I’m sure many others don’t, either. Some of that is surely generational, just as some is surely that there are so many other ways to access and discover music nowadays.
The stuff you’ve posted here isn’t really for me, but hey, there’s no accounting for musical taste, and I’m always happy to give something a listen to see whether it rolls my socks up and down.
Conan Gray gives me strong EDEN vibes. Have you heard of him? rock + roll is one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geZ_5Ri7ANg
I liked the sound of all of these. Wish You Were Sober is sad to me because I have lost people to intoxication consequences (drunk driver killed a 20 year old relative, alcoholism killed my brother-in-law). I agree it’s a good message. I also have a friend who’s 7+ years sober and has turned their life around completely. I think what I enjoy most from these is the same reason I like a few songs by Billie Eilish, even though they don’t sound the same. I can’t describe it but listening to these reminded me of Billie’s songs, sort of. Thanks for the recommendations!
He’s one of my guilty pleasures! I’m way, way out of the target market, but he’s just so catchy.
re: “Maniac”
Did anyone else notice the lack of periods?
My 21yo daughter loves Conan Gray too, to the point where any time she hijacks the speakers my wife groans “Conan Gray AGAIN?”
(I say it too, but only for Maggie Rogers songs, because I’m a turd)
He does good stuff tho, and your write-up actually makes me want to listen properly next time she– oh hey, I hear him already.
Thanks for the recommendation: Conan Gray is pretty good to listen to, and not hard on the eyes either. :p
I’d be interested in hearing more about being straight edge if you’re willing to share: what does it mean to you, what made you choose it, etc.? When you say you’re straight edge are your peers generally ok with it?
I wasn’t familiar with the term (had to look it up to see if it meant what I thought) but it seems like it would have been useful when I was your age: I was just square and boring…
Cool. The YouTube algorithm led me to Conan Gray a couple weeks ago. Nice to see Conan Gray here now as well.