Hi everyone, Handsthony Uptano here, the internet's busiest music nerd, and it's time for a review of this new Zach Bryan EP, Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs.

This is a brand new EP from Oklahoma singer and songwriter Mr. Zach Bryan, which again is wildly titled Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs, and yes, it is an EP, an actual EP, eight tracks, under thirty minutes. Unlike his last project, With Heaven On Top, which I think at one point was supposed to be an EP, but then I guess got extended into an entire album of what mostly sounded like leftovers or lesser-than material from however many past album cycles. Because in terms of songwriting and production and lyricism, a lot of what was here just did not hold a candle to 2024's The Great American Bar Scene.

And now he seems to once again be putting himself out there, releasing new music, obviously, and being more unequivocal about his politics. Cause there was that recent Gillette Stadium performance where he was seen wearing a pro-Palestine shirt, in the wake of all of the Robert Kraft, Ed Sheeran, Macklemore nonsense.

And there are also songs on this project like "Robot Killed The Working Man," which lyrically is about exactly what it says it is. And these things are, honestly, a surprising move from a guy who famously tried to find middle ground or try to settle down elements of his audience that were riled up by lyrics that were featured on "Bad News" that were a little bit critical toward ICE. So in one breath, I do get the hesitance for Zach to try anything new or shake things up. As he has been at a point of controversy for a minute, there were some pretty damning allegations of emotional abuse made by his former girlfriend, which certainly seemed to impact him and his reputation pretty significantly. And we are, in addition to all of that, living in very politically polarizing times.

However, with Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs, Zach does seem to be making a genuine effort to try at least a handful of new things to get his music back on track and potentially headed in a different and more interesting direction. Not that there's a single sound or vision dictating the eight tracks on this EP. There isn't, but it does come across like Zach is taking some shots in the dark to see maybe what sticks.

For one, there is a Lana Del Rey crossover in the midst of this thing. However, it's about as meat-and-potatoes as a piano ballad duet can get in terms of the very plain delivery of these chords that have about the simplicity of a Lewis Capaldi tune. And while I do think Zach and Lana's vocals mix very well, I wish they kind of hammered this one out a bit more melodically and lyrically so that it became something that was more memorable than it is just simply agreeable.

And the other collaboration on this EP with Turnpike Troubadours suffers from a similar plainness, even if, again, the vocal chemistry and the additional fiddle lines are a nice touch.

However, some of the deeper cuts on this thing provide more refreshing twists and turns, like the opener, "Lodi When" with its synth, electric guitar, and very dense vocal harmony layers. There are elements of this song that, to me, sound more like a Bon Iver track, an aesthetic that Zach's vocals work into kinda well. Especially as the whole thing unfolds into this lovely, folksy ballad, with a solid buildup on the bridge and a lot of longing and regret expressed in the lyrics, too.

Then, "Robot Killed..." brings a kind of different vibe to the production. This one is a dark country rocker. Kind of produced like Zach and his band are playing live in a spacious venue. In the lyrics, you have images of destitution, dying gardens, technology being embraced over the Bible, which I don't know so much about that dichotomy that's being painted here, because while Zack certainly is recognizing and penning the signs of late-stage capitalism on this track, there are also moments where he can't seem to put a finger on why, like when he blurts out, "there's no one to be angry at every time a working man falls."

However, I don't know if he's saying that in a literal sense, or that there's not an obvious scapegoat that's being pointed at there by the systems or laws that we live under. Either way, it does feel like a bit of a shortcoming to not simply point it out. In terms of the potential class consciousness, to this song, it just doesn't feel like he goes far enough when he goes on to mention "just more ads for gambling and more ads for more of it all." Which yeah, consumption is not going to save us from all of this; I agree.

The song "Dog Days," rock-wise, goes even harder, with punchier passages of guitars, drums, and harmonica too. Some muffled vocals as well, where Zach is kind of screaming into the microphone, literally. The track sounds like a few shades above a live bootleg, and while I don't think this song is the best example of songwriting on this EP, I would love to hear him kind of experiment more with performances that sound this wild and rough around the edges. But maybe just, again, with chords and writing that is a bit more methodical.

By contrast, "Backwards" is a bit more dialed back, but I think it's more the total package on the songwriting front, with great melodies, lyrics, and structure too. Solid, poetic refrains: "everything I ever said, I said in reverse." Zach brings some very clear themes around looking back, fucking up, regret, learning from the past, but also, to a degree, being kind of stuck in it as well.

"Is The Blue Tangled In You?" is another moment that throws caution to the wind a little bit with these disruptive, kind of vocal recording or field recording sections that, to me, throw the song off just a bit too much. And the closing track, I think, is one of the more solid tunes of the bunch, and does its best to tie this whole thing up thematically. Because it's not like this EP has a lot of runtime to establish core ideas to begin with. But it does feel like Zach is writing about appreciating the small things, and advance beyond all of the past woes that dog him for much of these songs.

Overall, I feel like this is an okay EP. There are a few energetic numbers, a few surprises, instrumentally and aesthetically, that may not be mind-blowing, but I think are enough to kind of show a new way for Zach to move from With Heaven On Top, or just a way to evolve his sound a little bit further.

Because regardless of the minor fall from grace he's had in the public eye, and what's going on in his personal life, the stagnation in his most recent music is very much real. And it feels like this EP could potentially be a signifier of the end of that, hopefully. And also maybe a sign that he's willing to learn and grow from these mistakes that he's made that really put things off track to begin with. Which is why I'm feeling about a light, too, decent six on this one.

Anthony Fantano. Zach Bryan. Forever.