Behind the hype of Zach Bryan’s new release “With Heaven on Top,” the album lacks the aggressive passion of Bryan’s prior work. In early 2025, Bryan announced an upcoming project — yet to be titled — but the excitement of a new drop is what got fans digging for more. Many EPs later, the hype for a full-length album was booming, and Bryan did not subside with this monster of an album. Upon clicking on the calming album cover, we are greeted with a powerful poem making a stand on what to expect on this 25-song track. The slower, calmer vibe of the guitar reminds me of sitting around a campfire on a summer night. This new side of calm and calculatedness is not something I hate for Bryan, though I was expecting a powerful album like his “The Great American Bar Scene.” The complex ideas of rebuilding, nostalgia, and loss make the depth of this album unlike any other Bryan release yet.
“Plastic Cigarette,” one of the most popular tracks off the album, is one that I was greatly disappointed in. First, the backtrack is nearly identical to his hit song “Pink Skies,” although it does incorporate many of the same elements as “Pink Skies.” You can’t help but feel moved by the passion and loss behind each word.
“Bad News” is by far the most surprising track on the album. Bryan discusses hard topics like immigration laws and how disappointing it is to be an American in 2026, with all of the division and lack of community that we once had. The lyrics are powerful and well-matched with the backing.
In “Drowning,” Bryan shows heartbreak and love in a gutwrenching way. The pairing of Bryan‘s voice and a female voice in the background makes this song have even more depth than before. It shows that there are two sides to the same coin in heartbreak. Every lover girl and lover boy will eat this song up and resonate with the line “Drowning is just a lover’s chore.”
“Skin” is an alleged diss track to his ex-girlfriend with whom he got a matching tattoo. The line “how do tattoos take your skin?” as well as “I’m taking a blade to my own skin,” show how messy this breakup was. Line after line, each verse hits so deep, especially if you’re freshly out of a relationship; Bryan’s voice is matched so perfectly with the methodical beat of the drums, guiding your way through this story. I must say this is one of my favorite diss tracks of all time.
“Slicked Back,” is Bryan a clean girl now? With vibes high, I feel like I’m in cut-off jorts and a tank, sipping my Diet Coke on the hottest day of the summer. Though “Slicked Back” might be my favorite on the track, it piqued my romance radar when the chorus sang “When I get to Hell or Hеaven, can I bring my girl?”
“With Heaven on Top,” the album’s namesake song, is the last track to close us out on Bryan’s wild adventures. Immediately after clicking play, my soul reached a new level of wow. The amazing acoustic riff sent shivers down my spine. “With Heaven on Top” is the pinnacle of Bryan’s music; methodical guitar and snare bring the catchy beat that will live in my head rent-free for days to come. This is the song to end an album of this length.
The inconsistent momentum of the album “With Heaven on Top” was off-putting to say the least, but after multiple listens, the album doesn’t necessarily need the grit and umph to make it work. Each song is one cohesive memory of what it means to live as an American; this beast of an album is such a complex piece of art that will continue to flourish with new meaning with each continuous listen. A few days after “With Heaven on Top” dropped, Bryan released an acoustic version spanning over two hours, with extensions to many of the songs. “With Heaven on Top” was an underwhelming mess the first listen through, but now the format and raw emotions make clear the ideas Bryan wanted to display. My advice to listen to this absurdly long album is to take it slow, to let the meaning find you.
