Conan Gray has released his newest single “Telepath” in anticipation of his upcoming sophomore album, and the song is an obvious steer in a different direction for the pop star. With help from big-name producers and songwriters Julia Michaels, Caroline Ailin and Ilya, the song boasts zingy lyrics, a synthy, ’80s-inspired instrumental and a crazy catchy hook. All things considered, “Telepath” is a perfect pop song, and it’s exciting to see an artist whose discography is heavy on tragic heartbreak songs come back with a confident, badass track.
The song goes through a toxic relationship in which the person Gray sings about comes back time after time. Gray is unphased by the return of the subject, saying that he knows they’re always going to end up coming back. The subject reaches out with half-hearted text messages and attempts to get back with Gray after leaving again. Despite this, Gray also knows he’ll take them back at the end of the day.
The production of this song is really what takes it to the next level. The synth is the star of the show, but Gray uses this style of song to his advantage and syncs it flawlessly with his airy vocals. It’s the type of song that will be stuck in your head for days after you listen to it, and for all the right reasons. It’s catchy, makes you feel confident and makes you want to dance. Gray has been promoting and hyping up the release of this song on platforms like TikTok for a few weeks, and the anticipation was definitely worth it.
Daily Arts Writer Gigi Ciulla can be reached at gigishea@umich.edu.