CONAN GRAY - “WISH YOU WERE SOBER”

Some people are just good at making stuff. Conan Gray is one of those people. At age nine, Gray began posting videos on YouTube, eventually racking up millions of views and subscribers. With vlogs, sketches, and music, he won over hearts around the world.  Known for his sad boy bops and bedroom pop production, fans have anxiously awaited Gray’s debut album, Kid Krow (released today!), and the release of “Wish You Were Sober” only built upon this excitement. Gray has shown us a few sides, and Kid Krow solidifies his signature sound: soft, clean vocals either over shimmery synths or layered guitars. Whether a song is dance-y or more introspective, he leads strongly with his emotion-driven, honest songwriting.

Before today’s album release, Gray dropped a sad-pop anthem. On “Wish You Were Sober,” Gray questions why someone he’s interested in will only communicate their feelings while blackout drunk. In an interview with Apple Music, he described the complexity of these emotions, stating that “it was a weird, bittersweet feeling, because on one side you're thinking, ‘Yay, they like me and they have feelings for me and they like me back.’ On the other side you're thinking, ‘Why can't you tell me this when you're sober? Why can't you tell me this in daylight?”

CONAN GRAY - WISH YOU WERE SOBER

In the music video, Gray is seen in an AMAZING jacket, stumbling around a house party filled with beautiful people (throwback to when we could be in groups of more than 10). He looks for an exit while camera angles replicate the spins. Gray has previously touched on the societal pressures that young people face, and the music video displays some of the dissonances surrounding party culture. The song opens with the line “this party’s shit/we could dip,” and he urges the person of interest to stop drinking and smoking, yet he sticks around and participates, too. These little contradictions are what make the song so great and so human. 

Arielle Tindel is a Berklee College of Music student from Cleveland, OH. She will graduate in December with degrees in Music Business Marketing and Songwriting. In her free time, Arielle can be found gardening or playing bass.