Individuality and acceptance, sarcasm and vulnerability, and cutthroat lyricism are some of the many features presented on singer-songwriter Conan Gray’s phenomenal new album, “Wishbone.”
Quickly following his third studio album, “Found Heaven” (2024), Gray announced on May 22, 2025, that he had secretly been writing an album throughout his successful world tour, “Found Heaven On Tour.” He wrote in an Instagram post that he had written these songs after shows, in between touring breaks, and in hotel rooms for the past year. He also hadn’t told anyone, including his production team and closest friends. The album would be, in his description, the most “him” he’d ever been, and was set to be released on August 15, 2025.
A week after the announcement, the first single, “This Song,” was released, along with a music video that set the scene for what is now known as the “Wishbone Trilogy.” The song begins with an all-at-once burst of instrumental, including an upbeat acoustic guitar, carefully timed drums, and the beautiful hum of a violin. The first lyrics of the song, and of the Wishbone era as a whole, came as a surprise to many listeners. “You know that I love you/And I have a feeling that you love me back,” were not the words that anyone thought they’d hear. It was a complete switch from the typically gut-wrenching lyrics that Gray is known for, and, up until the second single was released, led most listeners to believe that the album would be his first love album.
Two other singles followed, “Vodka Cranberry” and “Caramel,” both with accompanying music videos that tied into the same storyline as the first. Though “Caramel” was released at the same time as the album, it received significant streams, helping Gray’s largest debut of his career. The album had gotten 8.4 million streams upon release, over three million more than his prior project, and continued to climb charts in the weeks following.
The album begins with “Actor,” a completely acoustic track that returns to his roots, featuring his infamous, melancholic lyrics. He sings about a secret relationship and makes references almost constantly to a fan-favorite from his previous album, “Alley Rose.” The pre-chorus begins with a vocal and acoustic crescendo, the perfect build-up to a saddening refrain. Though the chorus may be woeful, it is only the beginning. The bridge echoes, “If you ever cared, well, I wouldn’t know/Blame it on a bad manic episode/When you meet a girl on some TV show/There’s a side of you that she’ll never know.” This track set the scene for the reality of the album; it would be filled with heartache and yearning, rather than love and happiness.
The album flows perfectly, the tracklist being carefully curated. Right after the high-energy and sarcastic “Romeo,” the chord progression begins for “My World,” a model pop song, filled with confidence and self-assurance. Following are “Class Clown” and “Nauseous,” perhaps the most tear-jerking, the songs being primarily played on piano, both having ties to regret and fright about Gray’s life as a whole. Towards the end of the album, tracks 10 and 11, “Sunset Tower” and “Eleven Eleven,” add themes of hope and reconciliation, helping close the somber story that Gray had created.
The final track, “Care,” concludes “Wishbone” and the entire era flawlessly. The song begins with a mixture of guitar, strings, and percussion instruments, which all fall into place to create a lovely harmony. Reminiscent of “Linger” by The Cranberries, Gray’s vocal trills during the chorus show off his majestic tenor range, a feature appreciated by all listeners. He sings, “And I don’t cry ’cause it is over/I just don’t feel like I could love again/And I tell myself that I’m over you/But I care, I care, care, care.” The song received 396,000 streams on release day and has continued to thrive since, currently with over 11 million streams.
Overall, “Wishbone” by Conan Gray is an astounding and breathtaking album, deserving nothing less than a 5/5.
