Zach Bryan, the 27-year-old country singer from Oklahoma, has released a new self-titled fourth studio album. This album has 15 songs where Bryan presents country music in a new way, incorporating an indie rock and folk sound into his usual style. Throughout the album, he has multiple guest appearances, including Kacey Musgraves, The Lumineers, The War and Treaty and Sierra Ferrell.
“I Remember Everything” with Kacey Musgraves is a track that sticks out. Throughout this song, they sing a story about a breakup that Bryan is struggling to get over. He goes back and forth between past and present, talking about the things he will always remember, like an ‘88 Ford, going to the beach, singing love songs, and his labrador. He then talks about how he messed up the relationship, which is where Musgraves comes in. She sings about how broken he is and how it hurts her to end the relationship. It is a truly devastating song that many of Bryan’s fans believe he wrote about his ex-wife, Rose Madden.
Another song worth listening to is “Hey Driver,” featuring The War and Treaty. This song starts off in the chorus, telling the driver to drop him off anywhere. Bryan tells a story where he is angry with God, as he is always on the road and feeling very lonely driving down all of the windy roads. He speaks of love as though he is all out from putting it in the songs he makes. This song speaks about the lonely celebrity lifestyle that leads them to use drugs and alcohol to numb their pain while they just miss their small towns with sincere people.
Not too long after releasing this album on August 25, 2023, he gave us a sneak peek into what he was going to be soon releasing with the up-and-coming artist Noah Kahan. Just weeks after releasing his album, he released a five-song EP titled “Boys Of Faith,” teaming up with Bon Iver and Noah Kahan, who is rapidly growing in popularity nationally. The whole EP talks about friendships that will stay and some that will go as you grow older while maturing throughout life.
The title track of the EP, titled “Boys of Faith,” features Bon Iver’s beautiful voice and starts off with what fans think is Bryan’s dog barking, going into details about friends and rekindling relationships. He then goes on to sing, “But you stuck around when I was down, and I’ll owe you all my days,” thanking all of the people who have stuck around him during hard times when he didn’t know himself.
Bryan has released concert dates for the upcoming year, many of which are already sold out. This album is definitely worth a listen if you want a good beat and beautiful lyrics that almost everyone can relate to.
