Photo taken from @zachlanebryan on Instagram

Zach Bryan’s latest tour dates.

On August 25, 2023, country music star, Zach Bryan, released his fourth studio album titled “Zach Bryan.” Zach Bryan’s new album has Royals exploring their feelings and more invested in country music than ever before.

Lucy Popovich ‘26 shared with me how much she loves “Zach Bryan”: “I love Zach Bryan’s new album; I listen to it on repeat and most of my favorite songs are on this album. My favorite song is ‘I Remember Everything’ because it’s a slow song but has an upbeat tune, and I love the lyrics too.”

I agree, this album is amazing. It even convinced me to take a deeper dive into country music. After careful consideration and many repeats of “Zach Bryan,” I have finally decided on my top five favorite songs, in no particular order:

1. “East Side of Sorrow”

Zach Bryan discusses the many challenges that life throws at us and the stability of God throughout it all. “East Side of Sorrow” is a slower song that truly demonstrates the power of letting go of life’s problems.

2. “Ticking”

“Ticking” is hands down one of my top three favorite songs; it incorporates the bittersweet feelings of moving on from the past, but still wishing to be with a specific person. It discusses having to face the real world, and realizing how fast time passes without noticing. The song talks about having to let go of the most comforting of relationships and continuing to move on in life while waiting for the right time to be with a specific person.  

3. “Jake’s Piano – Long Island”

This song is almost like an incorporation of two songs – and I love it. “Jake’s Piano – Long Island” talks about missing someone but constantly being reminded of that specific person, while hiding the authentic version of yourself in order to be seen in a better light. This track includes the feelings that many teenagers go through in trying to find ourselves, and in the process, feeling unworthy of love and happiness. “Jake’s Piano – Long Island” truly shows the raw feelings of being in a bad mental state and having one’s entire surrounding remind them of a specific person. 

4. “I Remember Everything (feat. Kacey Musgraves)” 

“I Remember Everything” is a song that cuts you with the depth and severity of each lyric talking about a relationship. The song discusses having a relationship that is extremely monumental and no matter how much you might hate it, you remember everything about it. “I Remember Everything” features Kacey Musgraves, and I think her feature provides an alternative perspective. 

5. “Tourniquet” 

Finally, the song “Tourniquet,” is a masterpiece. The song speaks about supporting and being there for someone who is majorly struggling. Person A, the one struggling, is pushing away Person B, because Person A doesn’t feel worthy of love and therefore sabotages relationships with loved ones. “Tourniquet” addresses the struggles of supporting a loved one who feels alone in the world and acknowledges the struggle of doing so. 

Besides Lucy and me, many Royals agree that this album is great. Siena Lopez ‘24 shares with me her thoughts on “Zach Bryan”: “I am a really big Zach Bryan fan, so when he announced this album I was very excited. I think this album has some of his best lyricism and storytelling. My favorite song on the album is ‘Hey Driver’ because I am also a really big fan of the feature on this song: The War and Treaty.” Overall, this album definitely sparked interest in Zach Bryan and his music and he definitely opened up the door for more people to listen to the country music genre.   

Zach Bryan did an amazing job at addressing the more sensitive subjects in life that are often forgotten but need attention. Zach Bryan successfully takes tough situations and turns it into beautiful lyrics so that people, worldwide, can find support in hard times.