Album Review: Wishbone by Conan Gray

Following the success of his third studio album, Conan Gray released his fourth album, “Wishbone”, on August 15th 2025. Join the Groovy Moo Team as we listen to the album together!

Actor

A musically upbeat track with strong acoustic sounds, Conan Gray starts this album with a track on heartbreak. Actor holds a lot of weight lyrically, mostly discussing the aftermath of a breakup. The song centralizes around how after a secret relationship, both people coped with the quick breakup in different ways while still staying in the public eye. “Nobody wondered where you went all April… But my friends discovered when you left me in July” is an example of how short-lived this relationship was, lasting only 3 months. Continuing on, lyrics like “And you’ve spent the summer drinking/While I spent it being erased” also help listeners understand how each person felt post-breakup. Another strong focus is on how the other person does a better job at acting unaffected by the breakup than Gray. Overall, this track has a lot of meaning and starts the album off with high expectations.

This Song

The first single for this album, announced the same day as the record was, This Song is a love song. Compared to his past songs about struggling with either finding or accepting love, this track really stands out in Conan's discography. It has a soft synth-pop sound. With repeating lyrics like “I wrote this song about you” and “You know that I love you” help solidify its message. Using this track as the first single helped hype fans up and helped them prepare for the project.

Vodka Cranberry

The second single for this track, Vodka Cranberry has a drum-lead beat, and is similar to Actor in the sense that the sound tries to hide strong lyrics. It focuses on a relationship being dragged on longer than it should’ve been, and how the breakup made Gray feel awful. Its main lyrical hook is “Speak up, I know you hate me… If you won’t end things, then I will.” 

Romeo

Another drum heavy track, Romeo is a breakup song for when the breakup is finally over. It’s about how when reflecting on the relationship, Conan feels annoyed that he allowed himself to be treated like that. It also has a lot of cut throat lyrics, shooting daggers at his ex, while also explaining how the relationship made him feel awful. The chorus is catchy, using the lyric "You're no Romeo” to emphasize what type of person his ex was. It feels like a track that could have a line dance– the type of song that a child of southerners would sneak into the family barbecue playlist.

My World

My World is about being fully moved on and being in a state where they no longer care about their ex. It’s very cheeky and repeats “It's my world, it’s my life” at the start of each chorus, and the chorus closes with “I don’t have you in mind/I don’t have you in mind”. Overall, the song’s about moving on and being confident again post breakup. It sounds similar to tracks that were on his previous album, Found Heaven. 

Class Clown

Class Clown opens with an acoustic, calming instrumental backing. It moves on to get louder and heavier as the song continues on. The song's main focus is on Conan's childhood, and how the trauma of it constantly finds its way back to him even after all the time that has passed. It’s a song that makes people feel seen and understood. 

Nauseous

Right off the bat, Nauseous’s music sounds similar to Hoziers Cherry Wine. It’s another slower, sadder track. Nauseous focuses on what can only be interpreted as an abusive relationship. Lyrics like “And maybe that’s why I feel safe with bad guys/Because when they hurt me I won’t be surprised” and “Your love is a threat and I’m nauseous” help get the point across to listeners. It’s a quiet song that feels like a cry for help. 

Caramel

A track that opens with loud guitar and drumming, Caramel sticks out from the rest of the album. Caramel maintains its upbeat sound throughout the rest of the song. It was announced as the third single only a few days before the album's release . Along with the announcement, fans were told about a Caramel music video that would release at 11am est on August 15th. Caramel's lyrics are a lot about how even after a relationship has ended, the feelings of it are still lingering and clear in Gray's mind. The remnants of the relationship stick to him like Caramel.

Connell

A somewhat-orchestral-pop swerve, Connell is a sad and quiet track that leaves listeners in a trance. Its strong lyricism helps encapsulate the attention of the audience, and beautifully describes a breakup. Connell has some very heartbreaking lyrics like “And you remind me how good it feels to hurt” and “Yeah, you remind me of my father slurring words/So, you remind me of how little I deserve”. The track helps bring the record altogether, and leaves one of the strongest impressions.

Sunset Tower

With an 80s synth-pop vibe, Sunset Tower is one of the most emotionally charged songs on this album. It follows how after the breakup, Conan doesn’t want to know how their ex is doing. Whether it be by a friend updating him, or the ex themselves reaching out, Conan doesn’t want to know. It's very relatable for many listeners, and uses vocal layering to help bring the entire track together. This track is one of the most upfront on the record.

Eleven Eleven

The eleventh song on the record, Eleven Eleven is the first song that mentions the album's title. If a person were to only listen to one song off this record, it should be this. The song truly encapsulates all the emotion with a similar beat as other songs on this record. The song follows Conan as he makes wish upon wish for his ex to come back. Using his wishbones, four leaf clovers, salt over his shoulder, and 11:11 wishes for his ex-partner to come back. It’s a very emotional, memorable track. 

Care

A backing track that sounds like a hopeful ending, Care is the final track on this record. Care centralizes around the idea that despite what Gray tells himself, he still cares about his ex. He uses lyrics like “I just don’t think I could love again” to show how his ex still is affecting him and his love life. It shows how much of a mark Conan’s ex left on him. The song is a perfect album closer, leaving the audience in a state of calm as they reflect upon the album they just listened to.

Overall, Wishbone is a beautiful album, and especially helpful when going through a breakup. As Conan Gray's career continues, his releases become even more impressive than the last. Conan Gray will be going on the Wishbone Pajama Party Tour on September 11th, 2025 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He ends his tour in Monterrey, Mexico on October 19th, 2025.