Still shy of 30 years old, Zach Bryan has lived more life than most.
His mother passed away due to circumstances from alcoholism when Bryan was 20. While serving in the U.S. Navy, he released his first album, DeAnn, in her honor. In 2021, Bryan received an honorable discharge from the Navy to pursue his musical career full time.
From there, Bryan’s been married, divorced, and married again. He’s feuded with fans, drawn the ire of the federal government, and been arrested near his hometown in Oklahoma. (He got into an argument with a state trooper and was charged with obstruction of justice. He apologized shortly hereafter and completed a deferred prosecution agreement in 2024.)
When it comes to his music, Bryan’s built a cadence of releasing an album a year. Most Zach Bryan albums arrive with 25-35 songs. It’s a point of pride for the young artist that his work often extends past an hour.
His music draws out swelling emotion through a slow burn of thoughtful writing and sentimental short stories. Bryan haunts his albums with themes of family curses, generational sin, and American traditionalism.
Even before With Heaven on Top, Bryan often received comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, the master of American blue-collar ballad. In fact, Bryan collaborated with the Boss on his previous album.
Yet Bryan’s latest album yearns to move forward.
Notably, there are no features. No references to Springsteen. No reliance on other artists to support him like before.
Zach Bryan has finally risen to the stature so few artists ever reach. Given With Heaven on Top’s early success, he’s been cemented as a superstar.
Despite his newly minted status, Bryan still seems wayward. Even after reaching heaven, Bryan’s burdened by the outlaw attitude of a country star who’s learning what it means to no longer be the underdog.
Most Zach Bryan songs fall into two categories: Songs about nights out that never end and songs about relationships that can’t help but end.
Peppered in between are honest reflections on grief, loss, and love that reveal the heart of a man searching for peace.
He sometimes finds respite like on “DeAnn’s Denim” where he sings, “Cleaned out the closet, found some closure when I threw those old jeans on the floor.” This is what healing looks like for Bryan … small moments of moving on but not forgetting the person who raised and loved him.
“Runny Eggs” concludes a nomadic tale with the repeated hopeful phrase: “Maybe I’ll find Jesus when the morning comes.” Bryan is also regretful as he says he will tell God “he’s sorry for the way that I am/And using his name before saying ‘d—.’
“Santa Fe” and “Dry Deserts” weave tales of road trips where Bryan finally feels peaceful as his partner is “always calming me in my dreams.”
On “Anyways,” Bryan details how he received motivation from a lover during a tough time. He sings, “You looked me in the eyes last summer/Said you hate all the pain I’m under…so don’t stop now.”
“All Good Things Pass” catalogues the nostalgia of the past good times while looking forward to future ones too. Bryan sings, “Well, all good things pass, but there are better things ahead/Nostalgia has a way of looking better in your head.”
Despite some redemptive moments, Bryan slips into familiar , problematic territory. He often turns to alcohol to soothe his pain—a concerning reliance in its own right, but also especially notable given his family history.
Even years removed from service in the Navy, Bryan still has the mouth of a sailor too. A song rarely escapes without a “d—” or “s—.” The vulgarity can ratchet up too as f-words appear forcefully throughout half the album’s songs.
“Runny Eggs” sees Bryan go on the run looking for his true self in America’s finest diners. As he travels, he sings, “I’m gonna jump on that motherf——’s back and ride it.” He boasts he’s willing “to stir s— up and start a fight.”
“Say Why” mimics Jesus’ 40 days of temptation in the desert. But where Jesus resisted, Bryan gives in as he sings, “forty days high…forty days sober.” While also “carrying my cross to that bar last night.”
“Bad News” has created quite the firestorm of content in many circles for a lyric referencing ICE and deportation. Bryan aims his misgivings with the American government, says his faith’s fading in the “red, white, and blue,” and calls cops, “cocky motherf——s.”
“Plastic Cigarette” details Bryan’s inability to get over an attraction to a girl by the river. His flirtation trends obsessive as he sings, “with your swim top still wet” while also mentioning “getting high on the edge of the West Side Highway.”
“DeAnn’s Denim” carries a reference to being beaten by a father figure for disgracing the family name.
“Skin” is a revenge song of sorts, in which Bryan targets his ex. His vindictive streak turns into him “taking a blade to my own skin/I’m draining the blood between me and you.”
“Cannonball” tells the story of lovers on the run. As they flee the police, they stop at a “g–d–n casino” and “howling out in the night high in Yosemite.”
On “Drowning” Bryan compares listless love to the feeling of drowning. It’s a harrowing description as he offers lines such as “Keep me under the water completely/Never want to learn how to swim, when you’re holding me down.”
“Always Willin” plays like a tongue in cheek track dedicated to Bryan’s willingness to be up for any sexual activity. He sings, “And I know that I’m h—bent and always will be/But at least God knows I’m always willing.”
“Miles” sees Bryan bemoaning unrequited love as he travels across the country. He drowns his sorrows by “drinkin’ wine for breakfast” and hiding his “bookings in jail.”
“Slicked Back” lets listeners know the type of girl Bryan’s after as he sings, “she likes romance, good sex, music, and ruling the world.”
“If They Come Lookin” references a fictional fight Bryan got in that ended with a death.
The closing song opens with fitting lines for Bryan. He sings, “Gonna fight, gonna cry, gonna fall in love…go through h— with heaven on Top.”
Cutting through his stuffed songs are meditations on the duality of life. Bryan’s found an unspoken reality that the marriage of heaven and hell exists at the intersection of hope and fear.
With Heaven on Top has more empty space than previous productions. In the warmth of French horns and finger plucks, Bryan lets the music wash over what he doesn’t seem to be able to put into words.
Five albums in, Bryan’s still searching for answers. He claims it is about time he solves his issues. It is in his desperation for healing where the sicknesses plaguing him only grow stronger.
Anger and alcoholism are rarely cured through retribution and revenge. Even if listeners don’t share similar struggles, Bryan’s vulgarity does the opposite of inspiring change. His habitual reliance on relationships, more damaging than helpful, keeps him in a harmful cycle that’s worth avoiding at all costs.
Jackson Greer is a High School English Teacher in the suburbs of Texas. He lives in Coppell, Texas with his wife, Clara. They love debating whether or not to get another cat and reading poetry together. Also, he is a former employee of Focus on the Family’s Parenting Department.
