Released on March 20, Conan Gray publishes a creative variety of 12 songs on his debut album “Kid Krow.” The album features a mix of indie and pop songs, with a hint of sorrowness within the lyrics.
Gray is a fairly new artist who started his career by uploading singing covers on YouTube. After gaining popularity, he released an EP in 2018 titled “Sunset Season.”
The artist is truly progressing through his career, as his target audience is mainly Generation Z. His songs are relatable for teens and have the energy they listen for in music.
According to republicrecords.com, Gray writes all of his songs. While rising in fame through his EP and singles, Gray worked on crafting “Kid Krow.”
The album cover features Gray sitting with his arms crossed over his knees, along with a crow flying right over him.
The album’s alliterate names comes from Gray’s friend who told him he was a crow due to his cynicality. In an interview with Apple Music Gray explained the meaning behind it. “My friends have always joked that if I were an animal I would be a crow,” Gray said.
“Kid Krow” is introduced with the song “Comfort Crowd,” which was released as a single in September of 2019. With a soft sound and eerie lyrics, the song begins with a soft baseline and builds up to the steady chorus.
“Comfort Crowd” focuses on Gray’s yearning for comfort and support. The tempo changes at the bridge, creating a powerful effect followed by a soft ending.
The second song on the album is called “Wish You Were Sober.” The song is upbeat, yet sorrowful.
The next song, titled “Maniac” was also previously released as a single for the album. The song is perfect for dancing around and has a melodic chorus.
The lyrics describe Gray’s confusion and anger over a person who he describes as a maniac. This song is one of the most popular songs on the album and is known for its catchy chorus.
Following “Maniac” is the 37 second song “(Online Love.)” It creatively begins with a phone call audio and goes into Gray softly singing. The unique part of this song is the coffee shop talking ambience in the background.
After this song comes “Checkmate” which was also previously released as a single for the album. The song features unique audio effects and clever lyrics.
Continuing on the album is the song “The Cut That Always Bleeds.”
This song is passionate and heartfelt. Listeners can feel the emotion as the verse swells into the chorus with Gray’s expressive vocals.
The next song, “Fight or Flight” has good harmonies and features a fantastic guitar part.
Next on the album is “Affluenza” which has a very interesting concept of how he views wealthy people’s children.
Another short song is presented on the album called “(Can We Be Friends?)” and has a soft and soothing tone.
Following the soft song comes another heartfelt love song called “Heather.” Hearing this song for the first time is dazzling. The song has a clever rhyme scheme and has a swaying sad song feel.
Coming toward the end of the album is the song “Little League.” It is sentimental as Gray recalls memories of being young.
Finally, the last song on the album is titled “The Story.” The song tells a story of past relationships with other kids in his troubled generation. The soft song perfectly wraps up the album.
Overall, “Kid Krow” is an innovative album for 2020. The album is the perfect combination of pure sad songs and upbeat pop songs.
Gray is becoming a successful artist in the music world and “Kid Krow” definitely proves this right.