After Zach Bryan released his incredible album “American Heartbreak” on May 20, 2022, fans knew it was going to be a hard one to top. But on August 25, 2032, he released his new album titled Zach Bryan, featuring guest singers like Kacey Musgraves, the Lumineers, and the War and Treaty. The tracklist contains 16 songs, all completely different from one another. The songs featured in this album have more of a slow and laid-back vibe compared to his previous albums which at first surprised a lot of his audience. Here are my top five songs from the album.
- Tourniquet
We all have that one person who we would drop everything for to save. Throughout this song, Bryan compares being there for someone to being a tourniquet for them to take away their pain. This analogy makes the song so much more intriguing to listen to, and it makes what he is saying so relatable to his audience. The start of the song is slow, but the tempo builds to the chorus which is faster and louder compared to the rest of the song.
- East Side of Sorrow
This is an album that is made up of mostly slower-paced songs, so when I heard this one for the first time it stood out to me. The meaning behind the song is a little dark, which is shown in one of the first few lines of the song when Bryan sings ” They said, boy, you’re going to fight a war. You don’t even know what you’re fighting for” Even though war and hardships are mentioned throughout the song, the faster-paced chorus brings in more upbeat lyrics making the song more joyful for the audience.
- Spotless
The popular country band the Lumineers is featured in this song with Zach Bryan. Something unique about this song is that musical instruments are not as prevalent in it. The background music is very light so it showcases the artists’ voices more. Although it has a more bright and airy tone compared to other songs, the meaning is still deep as Bryan sings about never being good enough for someone in this song.
- Hey Driver
Zach Bryan collaborated with the band War and Treaty for this amazing song. The first few lines of this song instantly draw in listeners when Michael Trotter Jr. sings, “So take my down a road that’s a little bit windy, to a place they still put sugar in their ice tea” This line instantly made me feel the calmness from a small southern town where everyone seems to know each other. Trotter’s and Bryan’s voices are completely different, yet they work together fluently in this song and create a unique tone which instantly draws their audience’s attention.
- I remember Everything.
This song hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and rightfully so. This duet between Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves tells the story of a couple’s past relationship. In the beginning of the song, there is very little background music, but as the story unfolds the musical instruments become more noticeable. Muscrave’s and Bryan’s voices compliment each other amazingly with Muscrave having a very light and soothing voice paired with Bryan’s more folk and scrappy tone. This is one of those songs that you can listen to on repeat and never get bored of it.
This album did not disappoint. According to Variety Magazine, the album already has over 233 million streams. I have listened to it multiple times, and every time through I pick up new meanings behind his lyrics; This makes me enjoy his music even more. If someone has a free hour in their day they should take the time to listen to this album.
