Zack Bryan has done it again.
The country singer-songwriter and producer just released his newest album, Zach Bryan, and the self-titled work couldn’t be more genuine. Released on August 25th, his fourth studio album quickly took off as a major hit, breaking records and hearts as it was shared and played across the world.
Zach Bryan got his start by posting videos on YouTube while stationed in the United States Navy, the career he always thought he’d be in. However, after posting a video of him singing and playing the guitar to an original song “Heading South”, he gained immense popularity. He was later Honorably Discharged from the Navy and has since gone on several national tours and released four albums.
The Academy of Country Music Awards 2023 New Male Artist of the Year continues to break down barriers with each lyric, poem, and song.
The album begins with a spoken poem entitled “Fear and Friday’s”, which explores his thoughts on living a life free of hate, the importance of being present while living life to the fullest, and how it tends to be the simple things in life that bring you the most joy and fulfillment. “I’ve learned that every waking moment is enough and excess never leads to better things”.
He later expresses his thoughts on the correlation between fears and Fridays, claiming that “They are overdone and glorified and always leave you wanting”. It’s evident in his writing just how grounded Bryan is and it’s no surprise that he is often referred to as an ‘old soul’ due to his mature and thought-provoking lyrics. These ideas are brought up again in Track 6 of the album, Fear and Friday’s.
The hit album also features several notable collaborations between Bryan and fellow artists, including The War and Treaty (“Hey Driver”), Sierra Ferrel (“Holy Roller”), Kacey Musgraves (“I Remember Everything”), The Lumineers (“Spotless”), and a frog (“Smaller Acts”). The frog isn’t an artist name- the song contains a real frog croaking in the background. (Check it out, Track 15).
Not only did Bryan’s newest work break emotional barriers, but it also broke record barriers when all 16 tracks from the album were featured on Billboard’s Hot 100’s Top 50, led by #1 song, “I Remember Everything” (ft. Kacey Musgraves). But the accomplishments don’t stop there. “I Remember Everything” goes down as the fourth country song to earn the top spot on the chart for 2023 and has stayed on the list as a resident title (since its release and initial top spot, it has dropped to #2 as of 9/13/23).
It’s also remarkable to note that all songs placed within the Top 40 and Bryan has now become the second artist to have over 13 songs in the charts in a single week. While this isn’t Bryan’s first residence on the charts, it’s important to note also that he’s now the second country artist to have 5 songs featured on the chart at the same time.
So, what inspired Bryan to write the album? “I’ve got no grand explanation for writing these songs,” wrote Bryan on an Instagram post regarding the album’s upcoming release. “I just wrote some poems and songs that I want to share because I think they’re special…but more than anything what’s most important to me is that they’re all mine.” He expresses that his main goal for the album was not for the world to love it, but rather to put his entire being in each lyric and produce an album that he would want to listen to, feel proud of, and enjoy.
And pour his heart out he did. A majority of the album has a heavier feel to it, and while a few upbeat songs are featured, many songs tend to take the lister down a journey of deep feelings and emotional experiences. His vocals only continue to improve from previous albums as he utilizes singing techniques from vocal growls to slides and explores his range both high and low. He changes up tempos and melodies, leaving each listener fully engaged and connected to the pieces.
To all fellow Long Islanders, exciting news…we even made it to the album! The 9th track is entitled, “Jake’s Piano-Long Island” and explores loss, struggling through hard times, and reminiscing about how things have changed. This song also marks a shift in Byran’s musicality as the main instrument accompanying his vocals is the piano, instead of the usual guitar and harmonica that tend to be the forefront of his songs. Piano is also a major instrument in “Tourniquet”, a song about the support and love towards a best friend or partner. From the opening notes, it is sure to leave you in quite an emotional state.
Other songs on the album include “Overtime”, “Summertime’s Close”, “East Side of Sorrow”, “Ticking”, “El Dorado”, “Tradesman”, and “Oklahoma Son” for a total of 16 tracks, all of which explore themes of love, loss, fears, and memories of both good and bad times through his life.
Bryan will be embarking on The Quittin Time tour with this new album, taking all his music live to fans across the country starting in September. His most recent tour was the Burn, Burn, Burn Tour, which only ended a short time ago.
When all is said and done, the perplexing writing of Zach Byran continues to leave a mark on this world. His poetic lyrics leave hearts aching, stories told, and most importantly, himself and others heard.
Time will only tell the heights that Zach Bryan will reach as he continues his music career.
