Zach Bryan at Marshall Stadium (Courtesy/Terrence O.)
Zach Bryan released his sixth studio album, “With Heaven On Top” on Friday, January 9, following an uncharacteristic two years since his previous album. The 25-song album includes many tracks that Bryan has teased on Instagram and TikTok that fans have been eagerly awaiting, such as “Dry Deserts” and “Bad News”, as well as some previously unheard songs. The album covers personal developments in Bryan’s life, from his messy public breakup with Barstool Sports influencer, Brianna Chickenfry, to his life on the road with his new wife.
“Deann’s Denim” dives into living with his mother’s genes. His mother, Deann, has been a staple in Bryan’s songs since he began releasing music, talking in many songs about her death, as well as the history of alcoholism that runs in her family. “Skin” talks about removing a tattoo of a previous girlfriend, with many speculating it refers to Chickenfry. In my opinion, the strongest song on the album is “Appetite,” which talks about how Bryan feels he is losing his appetite by living for others, whether it is his label booking him shows for “those who don’t care at all” or people telling him to have kids and “be content with all of this.”
The album’s top songs are among Bryan’s greatest songs ever, though they blend together towards the record’s second half. That is not to say they aren’t great songs in their own right, but they don’t seem to stand out as much when paired with all the other songs on the album. Narrowing it from 25 songs to 10-15 would have helped the album be more cohesive, though it would be foolish to complain about “too many” new songs to listen to. Bryan was worried that people would think the album was too produced, so he released an acoustic version of every song three days after the release. It is incredible.
Bryan’s popularity stems from people relating to his raw, honest, and stripped-back songs, as well as the one-of-one writing skills that define his work. “With Heaven On Top” is no different and is among his best works to date. I give it an 8.9/10 overall, with the peaks being an 11/10.
