Zach Bryan’s self-titled album is here.
The breakout country music artist, 27, released his second studio album (out via Warner Records) on Friday, and it features a standout collaboration with fellow country star Kacey Musgraves.
Titled “I Remember Everything,” the sparse ballad finds the pair recalling their memories of a relationship from tragically different perspectives.
It features Bryan’s signature painstakingly simple yet poetic lyricism. He opens the song, accompanied just by an acoustic guitar, singing, “Rot gut whiskey’s gonna ease my mind / Beach town rests on the ‘drying’ line / Do I remind you of your daddy in his 88 Ford? / Labrador hanging out the passenger door / The sand from your hair is blowing in my eyes / Blame it on the beach grown men don’t cry.”
“I remember, I remember everything,” the Oklahoma artist eventually sings, heartbreakingly slurring his words.
Zach Bryan; Kacey Musgraves.
Barry Brecheisen/WireImage, SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty
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When Musgraves joins in after the chorus, she sings, “You’re drinking everything to ease your mind / When in the hell are you gonna ease mine / You’re like concrete feet in the summer heat / It burns like hell when two souls meet / And you’ll never be the man you always swore / But I’ll remember your singing in that ’88 Ford.”
Before the singer-songwriter released his first studio album, American Heartbreak, last year, he developed a devout fan base by releasing music online when he was in the Navy, according to The New York Times. American Heartbreak then became a runaway success, spending 65 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart and peaking at No. 5.
He’s also since made friends and collaborators with many other artists beyond the “High Horse” singer. Earlier this year, he released the single “Dawn” with indie pop star Maggie Rogers, and the popular folk band The Lumineers also appear on his new album.
The “Something in the Orange” artist even invited Rogers to join him on stage to sing the powerful duet on Wednesday. The “Fallingwater” singer surprised fans at Bryan’s show at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
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He shared footage of their sweet performance on Instagram and expressed his gratitude in the caption. “never in my wildest dreams, as kind as you are genius and as you are talented,” the singer-songwriter wrote. “Thank you @maggierogers and thank you @cryptocomarena.”
Rogers shared how honored she was to join him in the comments. She wrote, “love you buddy. So grateful to share your stage. Catch you down the road sometime soon. This new album is going to change a lot of lives. xx.”
The Lumineers also opened up about how their song “Spotless” with the rising performer came together in an Instagram post.
The band shared a screenshot of a post to X (formerly known as Twitter) that Bryan made back in March. Along with an image of a direct message he sent the folk group back in 2016 and a poster of a festival lineup they were both playing this year, he wrote, “I know it’s next level cringe but, how the times change, thank you guys for letting me live my dream.”
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In the old DM, Bryan told the “Stubborn Love” group just how much they meant to him and invited them to listen to his music. “From your EP to Cleopatra I cannot express how much your guys influence has changed my life and music style,” he sent them at the time. “I just want to thank you all so dearly.”
The Lumineers noted how much has changed in their new post. “How it started vs. how it’s going,” the said in the caption. “We know @zachlanebryan has been a fan for a while, and we admired his songwriting on his last album. We finally connected, and writing a song together was an organic next step in our musical relationship. Listen to ‘Spotless’ at the link in bio.”
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Bryan also went viral in April when he expressed his support of the transgender community on social media. After country music artist Travis Tritt announced he was removing Anheuser-Busch products from his tour rider in response to the beer brand’s trans-inclusive campaign, Bryan referenced one of Tritt’s lyrics in a post to X.
“I mean no disrespect towards anyone specifically, I don’t even mind @Travistritt,” wrote Bryan on Twitter. “I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be. It’s a great day to be alive I thought.”
The “Heading South” singer then even spoke on the phone with Tritt to see “eye to eye.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education