Conan Gray, Winner | Track Review

Always consistent, versatile singer/songwriter Conan Gray bring the heat, once again, on his second straight winning single of 2023, “Winner.”

“The pots and pans and roaches / They’re glad I’m finally goin’ / ‘Cause, even them, they shudder at your name.” That’s deep and incredibly personal. Sigh, not enough folks truly appreciate or are aware of how talented Conan Gray is. He struck gold (literally, at least RIAA certification) with his debut album, Kid Krow (2020), while his sophomore album, SUPERACHE was one of 2022’s underrated LPs. Always busy releasing new material, the gifted singer/songwriter delivers another incredibly impressive single following his “Never Ending Song”, “Winner”.  There is no doubt that this single right here is indeed a winner. 

“Winner” begins as a piano ballad, with Conan Gray singing instantly. As always, his tone is gorgeous. Early on, the sheer excellence of the lyrics – the utterly sublime songwriting – is revealed.  Adding to beautiful vocals and the thoughtfully penned lyrics are tuneful melodies, particularly in the pre-chorus.  Notably, Gray exhibits poise in the first verse and pre-chorus, not revealing his cards.  Even in the chorus, at first, it seems as if Conan’s falsetto is going to be the focal point. Soon enough, he digs in, specifically on the lyrics, “Now you really the winner.”  The chorus, in all its epic glory, plays out a little something like this:

“Is that there’s no one

Whoever has done better

At makin’ me feel worse

Now you really are the winner

Yeah, there’s nothing

That ever did quite kill me

More than what you did

Now you really are the winner

Take a bow ‘cause you’re the winner.”

Ooh wee, the hurt is real for Gray ! The second verse adds drums, vocal harmonies, and generally more vocal presence ( Greg Kurstin is one of the best producers in the game). Of course, the songwriting continues to be heavy.  Gray ups the ante giving an even more dynamic vocal performance.  Expectedly, the second chorus is instantly more dynamic, with gargantuan guitars, vocals – a wall of sound.  Interestingly, some of the layered vocals in that second chorus give Freddie Mercury vibes, hearkening back to the 1970s and 80s.  The second post-chorus is bigger too, accentuated by the la-la(s), which make everything better! Even after this stupendous record grows so big in its #WINNING ways, I like how the outro brings “Winner” down.  It’s a musical move on a track where the musicianship is absolutely incredible.  Don’t sleep on Conan – he’s special!

Conan Gray • “Winner” • Republic • 8.25.23

[: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Republic; OpenClipart-Vectors, PIRO via Pixabay]