[Follow Rank: DewPoints: 10]

I saw some posts about Noah Kahan on here, want wanted to get some Chillers thoughts on Zach Bryan. Let me know what you think! Below are my thoughts and experience

I’ll be honest, when American Heartbreak came out, I listened to it all week, and really enjoyed it. I had some exposure to some of his previous releases but that album really drew me in. I loved the simple, purposely messy recordings- all those imperfections went against everything happening in the Nashville big machine country music community that had become so clean and polished it was hard to call country music. This felt so natural.

I also loved his songwriting. So simple yet tinged with lines that resonated with me, the simple things said in a fresh way that I think is a token of great songwriters…. but apparently I’m not the only one it resonated with.

Less than two years later, I think it’s insane He’s headlining arenas, and blew up seemingly out of no where, and now I can’t stand him. Maybe it’s a personal problem, but I hate being force-fed and it feels like everywhere I look it’s Zach Bryan… It doesn’t feel natural anymore. It’s like suddenly he’s become the savior of country music for people who can’t find music on their own, so they need it fed to them. Like the Jason Isbells of the world don’t exist for them because they’ve never heard of him. The people that think Morgan Wallen wrote Cover Me Up.

I’ve thought about it a lot, and I think I’ve boiled it down to two major reasons. Country music had became so largely manufactured and such an imitation game that it was in need of something against the grain, and the door was wide open for it. The Nashville Machine’s not stupid, and they were ready to take advantage of the need and assisted the blow up. If you don’t believe he’s been run through the machine, just read his Spotify profile. It’s so manufactured. I think social media plays a huge factor in this too.

These are just one Chillers salty opinions… What are your opinions on Zach Bryan and his blow up?  Is this less about Zach Bryan and more about a social media age where that sort of fame is way more obtainable because it’s trending, like Noah Kahan? To piggy back on that, is it sustainable? Or is pounding the pavement and earning your fans still how artists will create a sustainable future for themselves?

 

 

[Follow Rank: Frozen Foods IslePoints: 10568.5]

I like a lot of Zach Bryan’s music, but I’m also surprised at how famous he has gotten. You’re probably right that the Nashville Machine saw an opportunity and picked it up. Some of it also has to do with timing I think. When he came along, there was really only one modern artist that people knew about who was hitting that vein of country music, which as you mentioned seems to go against the grain. Tyler Childers.

So there was a need for his sound when he came along. He also did kind of pound the pavement in a way by releasing multiple albums in a short time span. And his albums often have well over 20 songs on them, meaning he cast a wide net.

That said, it is a little bit off-putting to me how famous he’s gotten so fast. It can’t possibly be sustainable in my opinion. He may continue to release interesting music in the future but right now I think him and Noah Kahan are the flavor of the week. The flavor is decided by social media but also by the machine.

Some people really just won’t take the time to discover music and will consume whatever the industry feeds them. A lot of people, actually.

Pounding the pavement the old fashioned way is still valuable in gaining loyal fans. There can only be so many Noah Kahans in the world. But now that he blew up that way, everybody wants that TikTok fame. Most of them will fail and would have been better off pounding the pavement. Except for the next Noah Kahan…. and the cycle continues.

I think the music industry is long overdue for a big shakeup and I’m trying my very best to contribute to that shakeup.

 

 

[Follow Rank: DropletPoints: 23.75]

Zach Bryan has some undeserved fame for sure. He signed the deal with the industry and became the country darling in exchange for his soul. The results of this transaction will be noticed when his later releases become full-on pop trash. It may take some years, but we will see his talents fade.

However, he is likely to remain famous. The industry manufactures the flavor of the week, and the artists project that flavor with their “songwriting.”

What we hear is more often a room full of suits creating songs based purely on their monetary value, thus removing the mind, body, and soul from the recordings and feeding it to the masses.

The problem is, the masses eat it up.

I say, enjoy quality Zach Bryan music while you can. Because there ain’t much more quality coming out of that pipeline.