Conan Gray’s newest album Superache is sure to leave listeners feeling complex, bittersweet emotions that Gray masterfully weaves into his lyrics. Released in 2022 as the highly anticipated follow-up to his debut album Kid Krow, Superache is the second full-length album released by Indie-pop artist Conan Gray through Republic Records. In the two years following the release of his first album, Gray released singles such as his first-ever collaboration, “Fake,” with Indie artist Lauv and “Overdrive,” which showcased Gray’s writing skills beyond his typical heart-break into an adventurous escape into the unknown that kept fans happy while waiting for another major release. 

Superache combines Gray’s expertise in lyrical storytelling that portrays complex feelings of heartbreak and sorrow with typically simple production and instrumentation that wonderfully accompanies Gray’s graceful voice. I’m going to be ranking the 12 songs on this album from worst to best based on how much they stand out, whether that be through lyrical content, production quality, or singing. Keep in mind that while I may place one song higher than the other, the song is by no means a bad addition to the album. 

12) “Best Friend”

Starting off with a song that varies a lot in comparison to the lyrics and theme of other songs on this album, “Best Friend” has a very laid-back sound that strays from the typical emotional sound that Gray is known for. The song has a very consistent structure and does not have much deviation in terms of accompaniment and phrasing which leads to a rather lackluster listening experience. I don’t think this is a particularly bad song, but it could have been greatly expanded upon.

11) “Jigsaw”

“Jigsaw” is a seemingly normal Conan Gray song until it transitions into a pop-punk-inspired track with well-written lyrics that portray Gray’s willingness to fit into his lover’s standards just for the sake of their love. The sound of string-scraping on the guitar helps transition into a chorus that sounds strikingly similar to something you can expect in a Weezer song. However, I believe that the song could have used more variation in rhythm and phrasing to give the song more energy rather than the steady pace as heard for most of the chorus.

10) “People Watching”

“People Watching” illustrates a story of jealousy induced by watching other people live their lives and form relationships. As Gray watches from afar, he hopes that one day, he can build enough trust in someone to have a relationship. This can be seen in lyrics such as, “I wanna feel all that love and emotion, be that attached to the person I’m holding…” which shows how he longs for a trustworthy lover but hasn’t found someone he can feel that trust with. I wish that this song was much longer as it left me wanting more expansion on the emotions the singer was feeling. The song is charming in how relatable it was, so this song definitely had more potential to connect with listeners.

9) “Memories” 

“Memories” is about the singer’s confusion about their feelings for someone that they know isn’t good for them. They want to leave this person in the past because of all of their red flags, but the singer can’t help but fall in love with them as they keep showing up in their life. While “Memories” features good storytelling, it seemed just a bit too long towards the middle of the song and could have been cut down much more, still having a good ending.

8) “Footnote”

Gray talks about how his crush sees them as nothing more than a friend. Gray wishes he was more to his crush as seen in lyrics such as, “loathing our friendship.” However,  he keeps getting shut down despite everyone thinking that they would be a perfect fit for each other. Gray is hit with a realization that he will be nothing more than a footnote in their life. The storytelling and emotional singing in this song are amazing, but it lacks a lot in production which could have helped bring out more of the emotion in this song.

7) “Movies”

“Movies” is a great starting track to kick off the album. It showcases a theme of Gray believing that his relationship is mere fiction. The lyrics emphasize that both the singer and his lover know that their relationship is a mere facade and that they keep it up just to seem like everything is fine to their friends. The instrumentation in the song is relatively simple but serves the vocals well in accompaniment. 

6) “Summer Child”

I interpret the lyrics to “Summer Child” as Gray singing to his childhood self when he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t in order to please others. The song uses a chorus effect on both the vocals and the guitar, leading to a thin and warm sound that fits the vibe of the lyrics. The song features some haunting melodies that resolve very well, leading to a satisfying experience for the listener.

5) “Astronomy”

“Astronomy” features a great mix and production that lends beautifully to building an atmosphere around the vocals with little nuances that are sure to send chills down the spine of the listener. The lyrics are about how even though the singer and their friend seem like they’re made for each other, they still have differences that push them away from each other. I adore how “Astronomy” sounds so calm and dreamy, yet it’s a song about bittersweet realization.

4) “The Exit” 

“The Exit” builds upon several layers of instruments that help create the atmosphere of the song. The vocal harmonies help emphasize certain lines such as, “feels like we had matching wounds but mine’s still black and bruised,” which shows how the singer’s ex-lover was able to move on from them despite the singer still loving them. This song masterfully uses momentary silence and changes in volume to make everything sound so much more impactful when the sound returns.

3) “Family Line” 

Another song that deviates from the theme of romance and heartbreak is “Family Line,” where Gray discusses how his family’s flaws made him who he is today. This is seen in lyrics such as, “I’m so good at telling lies. That came from my mother’s side,” and “God, I have my father’s eyes, but my sister’s when I cry.” Gray acknowledges that he is made up of different parts of his family. I placed this song this high up because the chorus has such smooth-flowing lyrics that fit the other parts of the song really well, whether that be in the sound or in the story.

2) “Yours”

“Yours” showcases the singer’s frustration with the person they loved not giving them the attention that they believed they deserved. They devoted so much of their time to the person they loved only to be taken for granted, leaving the singer confused about their decisions. The song stays simple in terms of instrumentation with just piano and bass for most of the song, but the end features drums that illuminate a feeling of moving forward as the singer thinks of all of the decisions they had made just for a chance at the person they loved.

1) “Disaster”

Lastly, “Disaster” is a fast-paced synth-wave track about Gray’s anxiety in pursuing relationships and his trust issues. This song’s fast-paced drums and chord progression along with the theme of panic in the lyrics gives the song a feeling of excitement but not necessarily joy, which makes it stand out from the rest of the album.

With its captivating themes of love, longing, and self-discovery, Superache’s selection of songs  each has so much to offer. From heartbreaking ballads like “Astronomy” to stories of self-acceptance like “Summer Child,” anyone can find at least one song in this album that they can appreciate.