By Max Braunig
Photo by Max Braunig
On January 9th, 2026, popular country artist Zach Bryan released his sixth studio album,
With Heaven on Top, a 25-track project exploring self-reflection, the emotional toll of fame, heartbreak, and sobriety.
Inside this album, Bryan wrote more than two dozen songs with a specific meaning and backstory. For example, “Skin,” the eighth song on the album, is about a scathing, post-breakup message directed at his ex-girlfriend.
Other people like other songs in the album because they feel like it connects directly to their lives.
“One specific thing that had some relation to my life is in the song “Dry Deserts,” where he mentions something about driving out to California. I have done that before, which gave me a sort of connection to the song, so I thought it was cool,” said Ayden Reinlieb, a freshman at Willow.
Something else that seems to be approved by members of the Willow public is Bryan’s effort to switch up the type of music he made in this album from his usual sound. “I really like his new album because it has many different types of songs, and they all sound pretty good to me,” said Willow freshman, Elva Taher.
“The variety of slow and fast songs makes the album much more enjoyable.”
Other Willow students seem to have similar views on the types of songs in the album.
“I like this album because it’s different from his older music,” said
sophomore Finbar Kerwin. “It has different beats with more upbeat tones and happier lyrics.
“My favorite song is ‘Rivers and Creeks’ because I like what he does with his voice in the song and the intro with the instruments,” Reinlieb said. “It doesn’t strike me as a song that Zach Bryan would write, but it goes perfectly with his voice and style of singing.”
“I rate this album a 9/10 because I really love all the songs, but there are some that are better than other,” Taher said.
“I give this a 7/10 album,” Reinlieb said. “It’s good, not amazing, has some hits, some songs that aren’t my jam. Solid 7.”
Zach Bryan has generally received a ton of praise for his latest album, and it seems that he should continue to add new styles of songs to his future albums and writing about relatable topics. This album is why Bryan is at the top of the country and will continue to be for years.