WHAT A START TO THIS FRIDAY.
Zach Bryan has fulfilled his promise, releasing some of his old favorites along with some new tracks on a new EP, Boys Of Faith.
Right after his self-titled album, Zach Bryan, he tweeted that he would slowly release new songs over the next few months.
Well, a month later, we have a whole EP… bless this man.
Featuring the songs he teased earlier this week with Bon Iver and Noah Kahan, along with classic, unreleased tracks like “Deep Satin” and “Pain, Sweet, Pain,” along with a whole new solo track, “Nine Ball.”
Yesterday, a fan Tweeted at Zach Bryan asking him to release “Pain, Sweet, Pain,” to which Bryan responded and then quickly deleted in hopes of making this a true surprise drop.
The quick turnaround on his collaborations with Noah Kahan and Bon Iver is more than impressive. Zach Tweeted a picture of Noah on the 14th, making this an eight-day turnaround, and he shared on Twitter that it was a four-day project with Bon Iver.
Zach Bryan opens up the EP with a new single, “Nine Ball,” that follows the journey of a boy reminiscing about the time spent at the pool table with his father and the bonding that they shared trying to win their bets, but highlights the father might have had a gambling addiction. Of course, from the young boy’s perspective, he sees his father as a hero, taking him to play as his partner.
“My father was a betting man
But I got myself a steady hand
He’s sitting in the corner with a six pack of Corona
Betting that his son will win again
I don’t wanna bet but my father wrote a check that I bet his ass could never cash
He’s betting on the eight ball landing in the side wall, cold blooded killer if you ask…”
“Sarah’s Place (feat. Noah Kahan)” is everything I had hoped and dreamed of for this collaboration.
The track highlights the best parts of both artists’ sound as they sing an upbeat little track reminiscing on the times one had with an ex-lover at “Sarah’s Place.”
“Don’t come back lover, I’m proud you’re under the skyline
We always knew you were the better half of our good times
Those backyard lights don’t shine as bright without your face
Out at Sarah’s Place…”
“Boys Of Faith (feat. Bon Iver)” highlights having people in your corner who won’t back down when times get tough. The song taps into the softer side of Zach Bryan while tapping into Bon Iver’s hypnotic-sounding melodies.
“But you stuck around when I was down
And I’ll owe you all my days
Them boys of faith
Them boys of faith…”
Of course, the favorite unreleased tracks on the EP round out the fans’ wishes for some of their YouTube favorites to be released across streaming platforms.
Zach Bryan has outdone himself with this.
“Deep Satin”
“Pain, Sweet, Pain”
