On Aug 25, country singer Zach Bryan released a new album, Zach Bryan, with 16 songs including many new features. This is Bryan’s fourth album and it has a variety of song styles while still falling under the “country” genre.
The album is produced by Bryan himself and many of the songs give us an outlook on Bryan’s life, such as his purpose.
“Overtime” is an example of a song that is upbeat and speaks about “working overtime” even when people told Bryan to give up. This song is definitely placed strategically in the beginning of the album because it shows his purpose to keep going and continue making music, regardless of people trying to bring him down.
The album’s very first track is a poem called Fear and Fridays, used to set the scene for the rest of the album. In the poem, Bryan speaks about all the things life has shown him and how he has been taught, through his experiences, that being alive is enough. He says that he “will not fear tomorrow because [he] feel[s] as though today has been enough” and ties it together by comparing the similarities between “Fear and Fridays” – they are “overdone and glorified and always leave you wanting.”
In addition to the poem, “Fear and Fridays” has a song on the album with multiple instruments that bring an upbeat feeling. In the song though, instead of comparing the two things, he says “I’m fearing Friday again” – using the day to describe his fear of a relationship. This song’s message is that he is afraid the connection he has with someone is only “a Friday spark.” He is afraid it is “gonna end” and he uses Friday as the day that they are in love, explaining that Saturday will be different. I like the difference in his use of Fear and Fridays in the poem compared to the song, and I feel it brings a new experience to the album. Bryan uses the word play to convey the feelings of fear in relationships that many people are able to understand.
Bryan also includes many aspects of his faith into his music. For example, “East Side of Sorrow” which tells about memories of past adversity he faced while being in the Navy and losing someone close to him. In the third verse, Bryan speaks about a person in his town who has “lost his mind.” The chorus focuses on how his relationship with God has gotten him through those times. This song overall describes Bryan leaning into his Christian faith. The message of hope is displayed beautifully to others through the chorus, especially after each verse, describing each painful situation.
In addition, “Holy Roller” has a feature by Sierra Ferrell. This song acknowledges that Bryan’s never “been a Holy roller” but “I[he] found God in your[their] eyes”. This song’s message explains how relationships can bring a stronger spiritual connection. He inadvertently criticizes other people’s songs about relationships while further showcasing the deep connection fulfilled in his spiritual, moving relationship.
The album has many features on it such as War and Treaty, Kacey Musgraves, and The Lumineers.
One of the features that stands out is “I Remember Everything.” It is a song featuring Kacey Musgarves. This song begins with Bryan exploring past and homely memories, mentioning it in reference to a relationship. The line “a cold shoulder at closing time” could mean that they had problems whenever the drinking and having fun was through, but he remembers it all. Then, Musgraves comes into the second verse. She says in response, “no, you’ll never be the man you always swore,” but she then sings the chorus signifying that she also remembers everything, even through all the struggles the couple faced together. Overall, this song, like many others on his album, explores the unique dynamics of his past relationships in a format where Bryan reflects on the memories of past experiences with others.
The other feature that I enjoyed was “Hey Driver” with the War and Treaty which features beautiful harmonies between the duo and Bryan. This song is about them talking to a driver about what is going on in their lives as they tell the driver to “take them down a road that’s a little bit windy, to a place where they still put sugar in their iced tea.” They are asking to get dropped off somewhere they can escape their difficulties, “you can drop me off anywhere.” This song features amazing vocals. The way it’s recorded is soulful and feels like they are sitting around a campfire just singing their feelings out.
“Oklahoman Son” is the last song on the album and starts off with a clearing of his throat and acoustic guitar. This song explores the dynamic of Bryan and his home town as he says “when I get back to Oklahoma I’ll be better off than I am right now.” This song ending the album feels right as it is a reflection and iteration that “you can’t hide where you are from” which affects who Bryan is today and how he writes and produces his music.
Overall, this album was executed very intentionally to explore topics of love, mourning, relationships, identity, and Christian faith through the use of many instruments such as piano, acoustic and electric guitar, and harmonica. Bryan is a very smart artist who clearly put his heart into making this album.
