American pop artist Conan Gray has returned with more popularity than ever with his most recent album Wishbone. The artist generally has a distinct sound for each album, often influenced by different eras and genres of music. 

His last album, Found Heaven, was greatly based on synth-pop and 80s music. His Wishbone album takes heavy inspiration from pop-rock and 90s grunge music. 

Conan Gray started out making YouTube videos of his singing, releasing music from his bedroom, with inspiration from Taylor Swift and Adele. 

In 2018, at the age of 19, he signed a record deal with Republic Record and released his first EP, Sunset Season. He has released four studio albums since then, including Wishbone. Many people know him due to his very close friendship with pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo.

The singer claims he named the album Wishbone because a wishbone requires two people to break it but ends with only one winner. He says that this is symbolic of relationships, as breakups can lead to one person struggling more than the other. 

On the album cover, Gray leaps through the air in a sailor uniform, holding a wishbone, which represents a voyage to this new era of his music and his life. He is moving on, and the album as a whole is symbolic of that.

The opening track of the album, “Actor,” is about the ending of a relationship and how both people act after the fact, going their separate ways, and mourning the fact that it didn’t work out. It sounds a bit more upbeat compared to some of his other songs. It talks about how different people deal with breakups, and the bitterness that comes with it. It really summarizes the entire album.

The highlight and most popular song on the album, “Vodka Cranberry,” is a devastating piece about falling out of love with your significant other. It isn’t necessarily about the breakup itself, but the moments before, when you begin to realize that the relationship will end. 

Track 11, “Eleven Eleven,” relies on superstitions and horoscopes like “wishbones, clovers, and numbers from heaven,” to save his failing relationship and “reinvent” the connection. It’s a slow and sad song. He claims that he doesn’t actually believe in superstitions, but enjoys talking about them.

“Caramel” is about reflecting back on relationships and ignoring the bad memories, instead reminiscing on the sweet ones and glorifying the situation. Often bad relationships don’t seem bad after the fact, because the idea becomes caramelized, making someone look back with desire and longing. 

In contrast to this, on “Romeo”, Gray looks back on his past on-and-off relationship with contempt and anger. It is a song of self-empowerment and moving on from heartbreak, allowing himself to see the reality of the relationship, rather than romanticizing it.

Gray doesn’t just write about heartbreak, however.

“Class Clown” examines childhood and the use of humor to cope with anxiety, later on applying it in adulthood. Gray said in an interview that “everyone makes versions of themselves for the world,” and that was what he was trying to capture in this song. 

The artist is currently on tour to promote Wishbone, having stopped in Pittsburgh on September 16th to perform at the Petersen Events Center. 

All in all, this album can be meaningful for anyone who is willing to listen, as it reflects the raw emotional vulnerability that comes from heartbreak.