Conan Gray Celebrates Kid Krow’s 5th Anniversary with Unreleased Tracks
Conan Gray celebrates the five-year anniversary of his debut album Kid Krow by surprising fans with the release of Kid Krow: Decomposed (5 Year Anniversary). While including all of the classic cry-in-the-shower songs from the original album, the five-year anniversary album also includes a previously unreleased song, “Bed Rest.”
Reflecting on its meaning, he shares, “Of all the 200-plus songs I wrote for this album, ‘Bed Rest’ felt like the perfect way to celebrate the five-year anniversary because not only does it perfectly encapsulate how I felt about life then, it somehow also speaks so perfectly to how I feel about life now.” The song comes with an official lyric video which depicts a cartoon version of Gray laying in bed with the lyrics floating above his head in a thought bubble. Over 20K likes have been given to the video in the first 24 hours after being posted to YouTube.
Additionally, Gray included two live versions of his songs on this album. Late last year, Gray released “Heather (Lost Verse Version) – [Live],” which he performed while on tour, adding a verse he had previously written but not included in the original recording of “Heather.” Honoring the opening lyric of the song, “I still remember, third of December …,” fans and Gray alike refer to December 3 each year as “Heather Day.” The song examines the heartache that came with Gray’s crush giving him their sweater, “You said it looked better on me than it did you,” and later pursuing their love for Heather instead of him. In the song, Gray examines how he wishes he could be Heather, “she’s got you mesmerized, while I die.”
Now, the live version of that song as well as “The Cut That Always Bleeds – [Live],” which resurfaced in popularity due to TikTok trends, are both on the fifth anniversary album. These two live songs were recorded on Gray’s most recent Found Heaven tour, which explored Gray’s ‘80s-inspired album Found Heaven. Fans from all over the world attended the tour as Gray traveled from Australia, to North America, to Europe. They met online and attended shows together and even gave one another gifts and crafts inspired by Gray’s music. Gray has expressed inspiration from the greats such as Elton John for this album, which can easily be spotted in Gray’s songs such as “Lonely Dancer.” Additionally, fans have noted a similar sound between some of the songs on Found Heaven such as the single “Never Ending Song,” to the all-encompassing instrumental moments in Billie Eilish’s “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” from her newest album Hit Me Hard and Soft.
Gray is known for his public friendship with Olivia Rodrigo as the two often post photos and videos together on each other’s social media pages promoting newly released songs or celebrating birthdays with a small group of close-knit friends. Similar to some of the themes Rodrigo explores in her albums such as heartbreak, loss, and jealousy, Kid Krow examines these emotions and complex feelings through a softer lens. Gray appeals to his fans by writing honestly and openly while connecting on a human level by his thoughtful storytelling.
In songs such as “The Story,” Gray discusses the sadness that comes with people ignoring their love for one another because they faced disapproval from other people in their lives as he sings of the story of “a boy and a boy who love one another /, but never discover / ‘cause they were too afraid…” Gray focuses on details in his lyrics to paint a rich picture of the heartbreaking realization that he can no longer be the backup “lover on a leash” for the one he loves in “The Cut That Always Bleeds.”
Gray explores similar themes with a more mature sound in his sophomore album Superache. While much of Gray’s music examines serious topics, he does so with a playful tone. For example, he often creates his own words for song titles such as “Afluenza” on Kid Krow and “Bourgeoisieses” on Found Heaven to poke fun at the absurdly large gap between the elite vs everyone else, when we are all simply human. In addition to his brilliant songwriting, storytelling, and musical talent, the album showcases Gray’s uniquely beautiful voice. With an exceptional range, Gray conveys each emotion clearly, from the soft almost-whisper intro in “Bed Rest” to the controlled belting in “Checkmate.”
Gray sketched the cover art for this new edition of Kid Krow with a flying crow (or should we say “krow”) on the front and a pair of shoes on the back. He also provides handwritten lyrics with the vinyl album. Gray also released additional merchandise on his website including a tin of bandages to match the theme of “The Cut That Always Bleeds.” Overall, it is clear that Gray uses his honest, silly personality to connect to his fans who are still celebrating Kid Krow five years later. For the full scoop, check out Gray’s message on his recent Instagram post. How are you celebrating five years of Kid Krow?
Photo courtesy of Instagram
