Count your lucky stars for the blessing that is Wishbone. Conan Gray’s astounding fourth studio album is finally here, and it’s a mature, honest exploration of heartbreak through the queer lens. Featuring singles like ‘This Song’ and ‘Vodka Cranberry’ alongside a brilliant slate of deep cuts, Wishbone is an emotional and at times painful listen, but it’s one that will reward listeners with some of the most introspective pop of the year.
Conan Gray’s pen has sharpened in the short timespan between Wishbone and his 2024 record Found Heaven. This is a return to form with powerful indie production and a coming-of-age feel to the razor sharp lyricism. Throughout its twelve tracks, the album breaks down a summer romance with another man that ends traumatically. It’s a gut-wrenchingly earnest story that many young LGBT+ people will relate to on an intimate level. As a result, these songs cut to the core, and it can be hard to process without tearing up.
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Wishbone’s love story gone wrong heavily emphasises a Shakespearean theatricality from its opening notes. Gray sings of “church bells”, “blades”, “poison”, “barrelling fists” and “graves of stone”, all intense visuals that heighten the tragedy of how his time with his ‘Romeo’ will end. Furthermore, the core players are the often uncomfortably human Conan, juxtaposed against his ex-lover as an ‘Actor’, going through the motions of a break-up for public benefit and showing little care to Conan’s very real, personal feelings.
Viewing Wishbone as not only music, but as a play of sorts, unravels these complexities further. The songs have many lyrics in common that make the project feel cohesive and connected, impossible to fully appreciate as individual tracks. For instance, Gray fixates on how much of his life this muse has taken up, constantly mentioning the months and times of major events in their relationship. Minute details become recurring motifs of “cigarette breath”, hotel rooms and the superstitious rituals the title nods to, most directly on the wistful ballad ‘Eleven Eleven’. Weaving these tracks together so tightly makes the narrative all the more heart-wrenching.
It’s also important to note Gray’s subtle, yet powerful step into openly queer narratives. Whilst in the past, Conan has purposefully been vague when discussing his sexuality, Wishbone is forthright about how another man took advantage of him, treating his love as an “experiment” before returning to romancing women. The album moves from being sad but understanding about this, to sarcastic and cynical on songs like ‘Connell’, or the instant standout ‘Romeo’. At times, Gray turns the exploitation around with a snarky sense of humour. “It’s my girl and it’s my guy/I’ll kiss ‘em if I might like”, he snarls on ‘My World’. The bridge then melodically shifts into a spoken word section, likely inspired by producer Dan Nigro’s work with artists like Renee Rapp and Olivia Rodrigo, as Conan mocks excessive performance of masculinity in a deep voice full of attitude and sass.
For more on the subject of queer identity, there’s a quiet, important recurring theme simmering underneath Wishbone about relationships operating in secrecy. Whilst the element of celebrity and fame is always at play in Conan’s life, these are also common feelings for queer couples hiding away for their safety. Those moments of borrowed sweatshirts, playing footsies and covering up love bites litter Wishbone with both the thrill and the disappointment of a love forced behind closed doors.
Wishbone also expands upon the themes of family trauma Gray has touched upon in previous releases, most notably 2022’s Superache. ‘Class Clown’ dives into how experiencing abuse as a child affects Conan’s current relationships, describing his overreliance on humour to fit in, and how it leads him to downplay and justify other people mistreating him. “I know that it’s in me to really love someone /But that’s not a thing that I learned from my loved ones”, he croons on ‘Nauseous’, a line that goes straight for the throat in its blunt, unfortunate nature.
Several songs also dwell on how alcoholism and drug abuse changes people, tying Conan’s experiences with his abusive father to this album’s muse. The damning ‘Actor’ hints at the topic, as does the rising hit ‘Vodka Cranberry’ with its emotional, argumentative lyrics and jaw-dropping high note. But ‘Connell’ truly cracks open the subject. Although its title is purposefully vague, represented in the song by Gray’s haunting moans of this mysterious name, he’s explicit about the abuse in this relationship, and even dives into the uncomfortable truth that at times, he enjoys his own victimhood because it feels so familiar.
As for the production, there’s no doubt this is Gray’s most polished work to date. Bringing together names like Dan Nigro, Elvira and Noah Conrad, the sonic direction boasts an eleclectic collaborative team, yet is incredibly consistent and moving. ‘This Song’ is a dreamy ballad that still fits right at home alongside more synth-driven tracks like ‘Sunset Tower’ or the more upbeat ‘Romeo’, thanks to luscious orchestral flourishes and acoustic guitars that bring drama and emotion to every instrumental.
Of course, the record’s closer ‘Care’ is perhaps the most innovative and memorable for this artist. On the surface, ‘Care’ is a bright, warm number ready to play on a roadtrip, but its summery feeling is betrayed by Gray’s shuddering vocals, revealing how he still can’t move on from Wishbone’s central break-up. He shows off an impressive vocal dexterity in the hook’s country-esque melismas, influenced by 90s artists like The Cranberries and Alanis Morrisette.
Every fan will likely find a different immediate favourite on Wishbone, as there’s truly something to love in each song. This is an inspired step forward for Conan Gray, harkening back to the soundscapes of his earlier albums, but with a notable quality increase in maturity and finesse. Wishbone is the story of two star-crossed lovers destined for a devastating end. It’s the kind of album that hurts to hear, because it’s both so cinematic, and yet so sadly grounded in reality. Conan Gray will hurt your feelings, but it’s a good kind of hurt.
