I was never a huge country fan until I heard Zach Bryan’s ravishing music. Zach Bryan recently came out with his new self-titled album “(Zach Bryan)” on Aug 25.
There’s something about Bryan’s music that draws you in. It wasn’t until I heard this album that I realized what it was. It’s the pure sweetness and minor touch of melancholy that he portrays in his songs. When listening to the album, you can feel every emotion in your soul. Whether the subject of the song is happy or sad, there’s always a deeper, touchier meaning within it.
It’s also no surprise that the self-titled album claimed the number-one spot on the Billboard 200, which is Bryan’s first album to achieve this. After listening to this album, you can definitely begin to understand why this achievement was received.
When Bryan talked about the album on Twitter, he implied that it holds a special place in his heart.
“I self-titled it because I hear every cell of my being in it,” Bryan writes on Twitter. “Some of it’s slow and low, some of it’s reckless, some of it’s loud, some of it’s quiet, but it’s all me at twenty-seven.”
The album begins with a heartfelt poem titled “Fear and Friday’s (Poem).” It talks about lessons that Bryan has learned, memories he’s kept, and the subject of fear. He also touches on how he thinks others see him and how he sees himself.
My favorite part of the poem is when Bryan says, “I’ve learned that every waking moment is enough and excess never leads to better things it only piles and piles on top of the things that are already abundantly in front of you.”
The poem is a phenomenal way to start the album. It subtly prepares you for some of the most gut-wrenching and beautiful lyrics you hear in later tracks.
The most popular song on the album is titled “I Remember Everything,” featuring fellow country artist, Kacey Musgraves. Although this track is not my personal favorite, it still comes as a close second. Bryan’s lyrics in this song have a way of making you perfectly visualize the inner problems and memories that supposedly occurred in one of his previous relationships. The main chorus of the song beautifully portrays what it feels like to want to get over someone you’ve loved, but to have tons of memories with them you wish you could forget about lingering in your head.
“I wish I didn’t, but I do remember every moment on the nights with you,” Bryan sings in the chorus of “I Remember Everything.”
My favorite song on the album is a track titled “Jake’s Piano – Long Island.” The lyricism combined with the riveting instrumentals in this song is truly sensational. Although the track repeats the same set of lyrics throughout the song, the vocals build up with more emotion as it progresses. In between each section of lyrics, Bryan incorporates a stronger, more passionate set of instrumentals every time. The strategy of constantly keeping you drawn in and compelled throughout the track is brilliant. The song also holds a sorrowful meaning to missing someone who’s gone but trying to always keep ahold of them.
In the chorus of “Jake’s Piano – Long Island,” Bryan sings “The best parts of you are here but you’re still gone.”
Feelings of love, grief, apprehensiveness and doting are all significantly involved in Bryan’s self-titled album. I advise listeners to prepare themselves with many tissues but also appreciate and value the poems and songs that we should feel lucky to hear throughout this stunningly put-together album.
