Album Review: Self-Titled | Zach Bryan
RIP to bro-country
At only 27, Zach Bryan has lived many different lives. He was an active-duty member of the Navy for 8 years, got married, dropped 3 albums, and got divorced. More recently, Bryan dropped his 4th album and sold 200K copies in one week. Oh! He was also arrested when he had the #1 single and album in the country. If that’s not proof that the American Dream is alive and well, I don’t know what else would qualify.
If you’re new to ZB lore, you should know that he is, first and foremost, a songwriter. This is his 4th album since late 2019, and it seems like he is constantly putting out music. His efficient musical output and unpolished production have become a part of his musical identity. He’s known to drop demos and preview snippets of new songs on his social media, as well as release live recordings for his fans. But, the main reason for his constant output is because of his love for his craft.
Before signing to a major label, Zach Bryan had become music’s best-kept secret. However, Bryan found himself between a rock and a hard place in the music industry. In the past year, he’s become one of the biggest names in country music despite frequently playing down his ties to the genre. He’s built his brand on being anti-establishment and anti-genre. Still, his success has pigeonholed him into being left with one option: sign with a label and get his publishing in order. ZB does not consider himself a country singer or have any desire to be a country music superstar. His music blurs the lines of genre from folk to country to rock, and if anything he’s more on the trajectory to be a Bruce Springsteen than a Morgan Wallen.
His 2019 debut, DeAnn (named after his mother), was recorded at an Airbnb in Jacksonville, where he was stationed in the Navy. It’s as barebones as you can get. Just Zach and a guitar. His second album, Elisabeth, dropped 9 months later and was named after his now ex-wife. In 2022, Zach got signed to Warner Records and released his first major label album, American Heartbreak, a 34-track (eye-roll) album (that’s a playlist, King) that spawned some of his first hits including From Austin, Sun To Me, and, of course, TikTok and streaming monster Something In The Orange.
Fast forward to this year, Zach has become more open to new sounds and collaborators. At the top of the year, he dropped only his second-ever track with a feature in Dawns with popstar Maggie Rogers. His production and collaborators have evolved throughout his career. He recently enlisted help from country superstar Kacey Musgraves, The Lumineers, The War & Peace, and folk upcomer Sierra Ferrell on his latest LP.
His self-titled record again shows his skill in songwriting and ability to let his rough and raw emotions transfer through his vocal performance. This record feels like a late-night conversation around a fire. It’s impressively intimate & real. Vulnerability can be tough for an artist to display through their writing well, Zach Bryan seems to have no issue. Zach’s songwriting and production are the antithesis of Nashville bro-country that rules radio (think: Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean). He’s even poked fun at that type of music on his own stuff on If She Wants A Cowboy.
His production is grounded in real instruments, while country radio is frequently over-produced and trying to appeal to pop listeners. His writing is earnest, authentic, and not full of confusing political statements.
Thematically on this record, ZB tackles grief on East Side Of Sorrow, emotional isolation on Jake’s Piano - Long Island, and distance between partners on a duet with Kacey Musgraves, I Remember Everything. Bryan turns optimistic on Hey Driver, featuring soul-Americana husband & wife duo The War and Treaty. There are still love songs here, in particular, the endearing Smaller Acts where ZB sings “There ain't no love a boy can find, You'll feel her in a room if you were blind, There ain't a thing a man can do, She'll only love you for you”
Hopefully, Zach Bryan’s unique breath of fresh air to country music could be emulated across the industry. His thoughtful approach, wisdom, and ability to speak from the heart in his work at only 27 is impressive, and we’re interested in seeing what greater challenges he tackles the rest of his career.
Check out our favorite tracks, listen to the album, and see our scores below:
Can’t Miss: East Side of Sorrow, Holy Roller, Tourniquet
You Can Skip: Summertime’s Close, Oklahoma Son
BY THE NUMBERS
Bennett’s Score: 7.00 (first column below)
Carson’s Score: 7.19 (second column below)
Album Score: 14.19
(Scroll to the bottom to see full stats of all Pop Lobster-reviewed albums)
Notes from Bennett:
I probably stumble across a country album I enjoy once every two years or so, the last one being Chris Stapleton’s 2020 record, Starting Over. For me, the genre often lacks creativity in production. Luckily Zach Bryan does have some things that I like a good deal.
For one, I’m a sucker for unique album openers. I really like this poem and his delivery of the poem in particular set a great stage for what follows. Following suit I’m a fan of that opening riff on Overtime being the melody of the US National Anthem.
I think there are a lot of fun things that Zach and his producers do all over this record to make the production interesting, bpm changes, horns, and dead drums all contribute to a cool country vibe for the overall album
One thing I did think was out of place was the vocals on Tradesman and I’m a fan. The intense reverb and echo they’ve got on him isn’t super special but adds a ton of depth to the song.
Also. Kacey MF Musgraves!?! dang. miss her.
Notes from Carson:
Country is not my genre so I’m not claiming to be an expert here but this is probably the best country or country-adjacent record to come out since Starting Over in 2020. (Excluding the Kelsea Ballerini EP from early this year, bc that is obviously fire.)
ZB won me over with this record. I've always been a casual supporter, but I was hesitant about how a 34-track album could possibly be good. At that point that isn’t an album, that’s a CHORE. I HATE when artists drop albums that long because it feels like they are just throwing on every song they cut and there was no thought process on making an actual record. Zach’s trimmed down this one and you can tell there was some thought behind what or what not to include.
Fear & Friday’s (Poem) is such a wonderful album opener. It really shows his insightfulness and where he’s at emotionally. I’m a big fan of Zach carving out a path for men to talk and process their masculinity. Very cool.
East Side of Sorrow & Tourniquet are easy highlights for me.
So crazy to me that Kacey Musgraves has never had a Top 40 hit, but glad she’s finally getting her flowers on I Remember Everything. She is the perfect feature and I’m so glad Zach sought her out and they made this. It will be a classic in years to come.
The background vocal on Ticking is a really interesting production choice. Almost makes the song feel eerie.
I’m disappointed in Spotless. I really hoped the Lumineers could make something good with ZB here but I really just don’t love this one.
I think this would be a more solid record if he trimmed it down just a little. Personally feel like songs like Summertime’s Close, Spotless, and Oklahoman Son are notably weaker than the rest of the album.
Overall, so excited to see what ZB does next. I really like how he’s kind of positioned himself to go into whatever genre he wants and I’m curious to see what he does next. We need a Born In The U.S.A. from him. He’s the closest thing to a modern-day Bruce Springsteen.
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We’ve updated our All-Time Album Rankings page. Stay tuned for more updates with the overall songs coming soon!
Here are our all-time top albums featured on Pop Lobster.
Funk Wav Bounces, Vol 1 | Calvin Harris | Score: 16.60
GUTS | Olivia Rodrigo | Score: 16.33
Speak Now | Taylor Swift | Score: 15.68
the record | boygenius | Score: 14.48
Lover | Taylor Swift | Score: 14.42
AUSTIN | Post Malone | Score: 14.41
Sunburn | Dominic Fike | Score: 14.33
Zach Bryan / Zach Bryan | Score: 14.19
Endless Summer Vacation | Miley Cyrus | Score: 14.00
Unreal Unearth | Hozier | Score: 14.00
In The End It Always Does | The Japanese House | Score: 13.92
Barbie: The Album | Various Artists | Score: 13.88
Gag Order | Kesha | Score: 13.77
Snow Angel | Reneé Rapp | Score: 13.00
UTOPIA | Travis Scott | Score: 12.79
The Album | Jonas Brothers | Score: 12.67
Stick Season | Noah Karan | Score: 12.43