There’s no need to study “Astronomy” to know Conan Gray is going to deliver everything he’s got on his next project. Rolling Stone can exclusively announce that Gen Z’s favorite sad boi is set to release his sophomore album, Superache, on June 24.
“A superache is something that hurts you so much, it lingers with you for years after,” he tells Rolling Stone. “It’s something that can only be healed through years of dramatic mourning, self-sabotage, songwriting, crying to your friends. It’s a super ache.”
For the singer — who released his debut LP Kid Krow in 2020 — writing his new record felt like “hollowing myself out of all the things I was too afraid to say” with his first projects. “It was a miserable and terrifying album to write, but it ended up becoming an album that felt like a very true representation of myself,” he said in a release. “Superache is definitely a vulnerable album, but not without its sarcasm. It’s a story of heartbreak, friends, yearning, mourning, and grieving parts of your past you ignored for years.”
He adds, “I’m aware that being a young adult holds levels of extreme feelings that I’ll look back on 10 years from now and laugh at, but I wanted to accept the histrionic nature of growing up on this album.”
Along with announcing the release of his album this summer, the singer will drop the single “Memories” on Friday.
Gray’s first LP included TikTok-favorite ballad “Heather” and the catchy “Maniac.” Last year, he released a trio of singles: “Telepath,” “People Watching,” and Astronomy.” He kicked off 2022 with rock-leaning “Jigsaw,” which featured his own work as cover art. Prior to Kid Krow, Gray built a fanbase thanks to his EP Sunset Season, with songs like “Crush Culture,” “Lookalike,” and “Generation Why.”
“When I’m writing a song, I’m like, ‘Oh no, no one is going to relate to this. This is just such a niche thing that happened to me,’” he told People in 2020. “But the reality of the human experience is that we’re all way more similar than we think we are. A lot of us have really similar problems and really similar challenges that we face.”
“Memories” comes in time for Gray’s appearance at Coachella, where he’s set to perform and also share exclusive merch for fans at Amex’s Artist Shop. He’s also on his Conan Gray World Tour with planned stops through Europe through early June.