Now that Halloween is over, many people are starting to dip into the holiday season as Mariah Carey’s defrosting is almost complete. Conan Gray was a bit ahead of the season, releasing his newest single “Holidays” on Oct. 18. The song was released while Gray was on tour to support his third studio album, “Found Heaven.” Gray’s music is known for its hopelessly romantic lyrics and indie pop beats, and he is best known for his first viral hit “Heather” back in March of 2020 from his debut studio album “Kid Krow.”
“Holidays” starts off with the slow keys of a piano, an arguable staple of winter holiday music. The song has a very distinct slow and reminiscent feeling to it. The background accompaniment gives the whole song a very distinct holiday feel, perfect for looking out the window of your bedroom in a sweater and holding a warm mug while it snows.
However, college students be warned: Gray’s lyrics perfectly capture the homesickness and complicated feelings of going back home as a changed person only for everything to be the exact same. Gray’s lyrics describe the mixed feelings of going home for the holidays and going back to the cafes you used to frequent, seeing the friends you used to tell everything to and talking to teachers you used to have to listen to monologue. Gray describes the feeling of seeing your friends again after you have changed and grown as people, but still having small quirks that are the same as they were when you last saw them. The slow piano and Gray’s pining lyrics really emphasize the bittersweet feeling. It can be really nice to be back where you grew up surrounded by everyone you love, which is what the holidays are meant for, but it can be difficult if you have changed as a person and everything else is the same.
In “Holidays,” Gray doesn’t focus simply on being surrounded by the people you love and appreciating being around them, but touches on the bigger theme of change and being separated by time and distance. The song does have undertones of a holiday theme, but overall the lyrics feel more homesick and tragic than the usual music that people listen to for the season. Despite its name, the song is more likely to elicit a quiet sob as you stare out the window on the drive or flight back home than to get you in the mood to celebrate the holiday season.
