Now this is cool.
In addition to his forthcoming debut studio album, American Heartbreak, Zach Bryan announced on Twitter that he has two EP’s coming called Summertime Blues, and an Armed Forces Medley, which he wrote for “all the men and woman serving this country.”
He released “Summertime Blues” last week, however, it has since been removed.
He didn’t give any sort of indication as to when they might officially be released (he’s a little busy with the upcoming release of a 34-song album), he did say in the post that they’re not quite done yet, but have been a blast to write thus far:
“I’ve been working on two projects, one I’m gonna call Summertime Blues and one’s going to be an Armed Forces Medley for all the men and women serving this country.
Two EP’s that’ll be a blast for me to make and I’m so damn excited to finish writing them. Love you guys always.”
Of course, Zach was honorably discharged from active duty in the U.S. Navy last October in order to pursue music full-time, and he noted that it has been a “bittersweet ordeal” for him getting out of the service, which is not uncommon for a lot of people in his position as he comes to terms with a completely new life.
And that, coupled with the fragile nature of the topic for these EP’s, has taken him more time than he thought it would to finish:
“Took me a hell of a lot longer to write some veteran songs than anticipated because of how fragile of a subject it is to so many people.
Getting out of the Nnavy was a bittersweet ordeal for me and I’m coming to grips with it as of lately.”
took me a hell of a lot longer to write some veteran songs than anticipated because of how fragile of a subject it is to so many people. getting out of the navy was a bittersweet ordeal for me and I’m coming to grips with it as of lately
— Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) May 10, 2022
Zach’s managed to stay involved in supporting the troops in other ways, now, as he currently sits on the board of Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey’s foundation, which supports both active duty and retired service men and women. They teamed up for an incredible benefit show, 22 and Troops, just last summer.
Zach previously released four singles from the new studio album, including “From Austin”, “Highway Boys”, two versions of the fan-favorite, “Something In The Orange,” and most recently, “Open the Gate.”
American Heartbreak has an extensive 30+ song tracklist, and while much of the attention will be on that when it drops next Friday, May 20th (and deservedly so), make sure you keep an eye on this project, as well.
And as always, a massive thank you to all of the veterans and active-duty members of the military who have sacrificed everything for us. We appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.
“Open the Gate”
“Highway Boys”
