Conan Gray has really honed a strong embodiment of introspection in his songwriting over the past couple of years. From his EP ‘Sunset Season’ in 2018 to his debut album ‘Kid Krow’ last year, the singer-songwriter has welcomed listeners into this world of deep reflection and coming-of-age realisations. As he heads towards the release of his forthcoming sophomore record, he’s dropped another vulnerable track that will speak directly to anyone that feels left behind in the love department.
Co-written with Julia Michaels, ‘People Watching’ is an intimate up-beat ballad that hears him feeling lost as he watches everyone around him fall in love and be in healthy relationships. But the song takes a hopeful direction in him acknowledging that it will happen to him one day, but for now he’s just people watching and that’s okay. “But I wanna feel all that love and еmotion. Be that attached to the person I’m holding. Someday I’ll be falling without caution, but for now I’m only people watching” he sings during the dreamy hook.
Layered by light piano, slight echoed vocals and gradually atmospheric pop production, he’s built a soundscape that feels really introspective and matches the mature emotions he addresses. It’s a song that you will fall in love with immediately and be ready to soundtrack the early morning or evening commutes on public transport on your way to or home from work as you people watch around you.