Superache [Ruby Red LP]

by Conan Gray

Overview

Conan Gray is yearning for something more on his vibrantly realized sophomore album, 2022's Superache. Once again produced with longtime collaborator Dan Nigro (along with some production by Cirkut and co-writing contributions by Julia Michaels), Superache is a bigger, more robust record than 2020's Kid Krow, while still retaining, and in many ways expanding upon, the heartfelt diaristic qualities that made Gray such a poster child for sad Internet teens. What's especially compelling about Gray's work on Superache is just how well he combines big pop hooks with believable and personal lyrics. Much like his idol Taylor Swift, Gray has the knack for crafting hooky, infectious anthems that also feel explicitly born out of his own life experience. At the core of the album is "Family Line," a poignant ballad about child abuse and generational trauma, all filtered through what clearly feels like his own personal story. It's the rawest song on a record full of openhearted honesty, one that grounds Superache in an inescapable realness. Gray brings an equal amount of authenticity to even his frothiest, most playful cross-genre moments, as on the driving, '80s dance-rock-sounding "Disaster," or the wry country hip-hop of "Best Friend." Particularly engaging is "Jigsaw," a song about the myriad ways people try to change themselves to please someone else in a relationship. Marrying his dove-eyed vocal coo to his band's chugging, '90s-style Pixies guitar and drum wallop, Gray sings, "Killin' parts of myself to fit you/Clear as sh*t I was not the issue/If I made you like me, would I even like myself?/Pointing out all my flaws doesn't help." It's that balance Gray strikes on Superache between plumbing his own candidly intimate fears and simultaneously pulling together all of his musical influences into his own distinctive sound that lends the album such magnetic, transformative power. On Superache, Gray isn't just a charismatic conduit for young heartache; in the best sense of the term, he's a pop star. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2022
Label:	Island / Republic
UPC:	0602445720538
Rank:	341

Tracks

1. Movies
2. People Watching
3. Disaster
4. Best Friend
5. Astronomy
6. Yours
7. Jigsaw
8. Family Line
9. Summer Child
10. Footnote
11. Memories
12. The Exit

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Conan Gray   Primary Artist,Vocals,Baritone (Vocal),Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Paul Cartwright   Viola,Violin
Ben Romans   Piano
Daniel Nigro   Bass,Drums,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Percussion,Synthesizer,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Julia Michaels   Vocals (Background)
Cirkut   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Sterling Laws   Drums
Ryan Linvill   Bass,Saxophone,Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Ben Adelson   A&R
Randy Merrill   Mastering Engineer
Ryan Rogers   Art Direction
Daniel Nigro   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Julia Michaels   Composer
Brian Ziff   Photography
Cirkut   Engineer,Producer,Recording,Drum Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Mitch McCarthy   Mixing
Henry Walter   Composer
Conan Gray   Design,Composer,Art Direction,Creative Director
Bryce Bordone   Mixing Engineer
Ryan Linvill   Engineer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming,Additional Production,Synthesizer Programming
Connor Dewhurst   Design
Eddie Wintle   Management
Colette Patnaude   Management