The Singles Jukebox

Not a Katy Rose cover…

[Video]
[5.25]

Andrew Karpan: An argument that the worst part of the pandemic has been not scoring one night stands with people you’ll never see again, articulated with a lot of empty whooping. But an argument that I’m not unsympathetic to, nonetheless. Certain moments feel like a Honda-commercial version of the chorus in “Green Light,” a song that’s also about leaving lovers in the night and sounds like driving a convertible with the top down. But where Lorde tries her hardest to sound despondent at the idea, Gray can hardly contain his glee that this bout of ‘catching feelings’ has come to an end. Mercifully, the song does too. 
[4]

Al Varela: I wouldn’t say that Conan Gray is top of the pack when it comes to today’s teen heartthrobs, but he certainly has a lot of potential to be that mysterious bad boy who could be fixed with the right girl (or boy?) by his side. The boyish passion he has works wonderfully with this synth-heavy explosion of color and vibrancy and driving energy.
[8]

Thomas Inskeep: I didn’t know that “punchable voice” was a thing until now.
[0]

Austin Nguyen: It’s official: I’ve become my high school choir teacher and now possess a profound loathing for every unnecessary “h” placed in front of a vowel. But even if Conan Gray didn’t sound like he was going to yawp out a “Hoyeah” whenever an “i” was in the middle of a word, “Overdrive” barely exceeds the speed limit. The guitar sunbathes in its own strums for the most part, and the pay-off feels undermined by that sucker-punching drum kick and the gradual production layering, dampening the impact of what would’ve worked better more dramatically terraced. Halfway through the chorus, though, when the the synths become searchlights and everything is coated in highway-light fluorescence, there’s a hint of actual “danger,” breathless exhilaration that goes beyond the pedal-nudging acceleration of merging into a new lane. The next gear finally kicks in, at least for an exit or two.
[5]

Alfred Soto: Sounding like a louder Olly Alexander, Conan Gray hits overdrive without cause, a case of phony uplift. 
[6]

Katherine St Asaph: Is there any point trying to pin down which specific 2014-ish Max Martin song this sounds like? (It’s actually by The Monsters & Strangerz, and sounds like they’d had this sitting around for a few years.) Why mess with functional?
[6]

Hazel Southwell: The relentless optimist in me hopes I get to go enough places this summer that by the end of June it’s pissing me off beyond comprehension to hear the stupid little chug and the insipid little lyrics about doing silly little things like having a good time. 
[6]

Samson Savill de Jong: Is there a single element of this song that you couldn’t find in other pop songs? Not really. Does that matter when all the elements are put together this well? Not really.
[7]