Fainted love, the third track on Gray’s long anticipated album, Found Heaven, is the song of the summer. The album, released on April 5, 2024, was a tribute to 80s and 90s pop. His new era, embellished with golden stars suspended in teardrops, leather jackets and aviator sunglasses, marks the start of a unique genre of music. 

 The track’s sound creates a scenic picture of the salmon pink, tangerine orange, and fruit punch tints of a Californian sunset and the scent of fresh but salty and sticky smell of saltwater by the roadside. Outside the window, there are neon lit diners and ice cream soda shops designed in the 80s. Fainted Love earns the title of song of the summer because of the beachy and tropical aura it sets in the listeners mind. 

The song starts with a powerful kick drum and dynamic synth sounds. In the first line, Gray croons, “Stoplights, a familiar drive/Through another ghost town on a Saturday night” His lover calls for him late at night, and the route is familiar to him, because he has followed the same routine many times before. He knows that he is being used, and his partner barely has any love to give him, hence the name Fainted Love. Yet, he continues to rush to their side over and over again. The upbeat, summery feeling Gray incorporates into the piece expresses the theme of the album, “feeling something is better than feeling nothing.” (104.3 MYfm) Even though his love for this person is one-sided, he finds the time he spent with them was well worth it. 

Fainted Love’s pre-chorus is full of energy and sounds like a strong warning that Conan ignores the entirety of their relationship. It goes like this: “Cause you said, ‘You got it? We're nothing.I'm the worst if you want it!’” His lover reminds him that they aren’t anything, but the objective of the song is that Gray will take any of the love that he is given. Despite being led on and being dragged around by false hope, he believes that being loved by someone at all felt so damaging yet fulfilling. 

Gray’s vocals throughout the whole song were full and robust. His tone was extremely clear and compelling. The vintage themed digital sounds he used suited the song well, and it set the song apart from what is considered modern pop today. Fainted Love left a profound mark on the genre. The quality of the lyrics were outstanding, and there was plenty of variety and minimal repetition. 

The distinctive sound of the 80s left room to imagine a time period complete with roller skates, cassette tapes and denim. It was a perfect way to bring back a time that many artists never thought to experiment with. Therefore, I highly recommend giving Fainted Love by Conan Gray a listen.