Kid Krow, Decomposed [5 Year Anniversary] [Black/White Splatter LP]

by Conan Gray

Overview

On his full-length debut, 2020's Kid Krow, YouTuber turned pop auteur Conan Gray offers a coming-of-age album that showcases his knack for turning melancholy feelings of loneliness into buoyant pop confections. The album, which follows his equally compelling 2018 EP, Sunset Season, finds him expanding upon his intimate, indie pop sound with a wider production palette that marries confessional lyrics to dance grooves and subtle electronic flourishes. Helping Gray is producer Daniel Nigro, who previously worked with such artists as Sky Ferreira, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Freya Ridings. While Gray's music is aimed at the teen and early twentysomething audience who grew up watching his vlog posts online, he is no lightweight presence here, incisively addressing issues of heartbreak, drug and alcohol abuse, and discovering one's sexual identity with a thoughtfulness that never feels callous or exploitative. Even the most sugary, dance-oriented songs -- like "Checkmate," in which Gray calls out his gaslighting lover for lying and playing games -- pack a truthful emotional wallop. Similarly engaging are hooky cuts like "Comfort Crowd," "Maniac," and "Wish You Were Sober," tracks that surprisingly straddle the line between the hooky pop of Death Cab for Cutie and the mainstream anthems of Taylor Swift. One of the aspects that makes Gray's songs so compelling is his candid point of view. This is especially true on the more low-key, acoustic songs like "Heather," where he details a poignantly unrequited love between a boy and another boy who is dating a girl. Similarly, on "The Story," he addresses teenage isolation and the difficulty some young people can have making emotional connections. He sings, "And when I was younger, I knew a boy and a boy/Best friends with each other, but always wished they were more/'Cause they loved one other, but never discovered/'Cause they were too afraid." Later, he offers hope, singing "Oh, and I'm afraid that's just the way the world works/But I think that it could work for you and me." Ultimately, Kid Krow is charming and relatable for the same reasons Gray's videos earned thousands of fans, presenting him as a talented, thoughtful kid just trying to navigate the slings and arrows of young adulthood. Even at Gray's most yearning and emotionally wrought moments, he's got the charisma to get you singing along. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	06/13/2025
Label:	Republic Records
UPC:	0602478119231

Tracks

1. Bed Rest
2. The Cut That Always Bleeds
3. Wish You Were Sober
4. Heather
5. (Online Love)
6. Fight or Flight
7. Maniac
8. Affluenza
9. Checkmate
10. (Can We Be Friends?)
11. Little League
12. Comfort Crowd
13. The Story
14. The Cut That Always Bleeds
15. Heather

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Conan Gray   Primary Artist,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background),Guitar,Vocals
Ryan McMahon   Keyboards,Bass (Vocal),Vocals (Background),Bass,Drums,Guitar
Daniel Nigro   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Bass (Vocal),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Erick Serna   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Ryan Rabin   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Bass (Vocal),Vocals (Background)
Jam City   Guitar
Ryan Linvill   Bass,Bass (Vocal),Bass (Electric)
Renny Goh   Keyboards
Kathleen   Vocals (Background)
Hayley Batt   Bass
Tiana Ohara   Guitar (Electric)
India Pascucci   Drums
Kerri Stewart   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Dn   Bass,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric)
Benjamin Berger   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Bass (Vocal),Vocals (Background)
Sterling Laws   Drums

Technical Credits

Ryan McMahon   Programming,Composer
Jasmine Chen   Second Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Ben Adelson   A&R
Randy Merrill   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Matthew Dillon   Photography,Art Direction
Daniel Nigro   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer,Drum Programming,Synthesizer Programming
Ryan Rabin   Composer,Programming
Chris Kaysch   Engineer
Derek Renfroe   Mixing Engineer
Ryan Linvill   Drum Programming
Oscar Neidhardt   Vocal Editing,Vocal Engineer,Editing Engineer
Serban Ghenea   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
John Hanes   Engineer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Michael Freeman   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Dn   Drum Programming
Jam City   Engineer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming
Julian Swirsky   A&R
Captain Cuts   Producer
Aron Forbes   Mixing Engineer
Benjamin Berger   Composer,Programming
Mitch McCarthy   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Kevin Eskowitz   Legal Advisor
Conan Gray   Design,Composer,Producer,Art Direction