Last October, I forecasted a trend that I called COUNTRY RETRO FUTURISM.
I hypothesized that as global chaos continued to rise and people grew weary of curated and filtered social media content, they would increasingly seek authenticity and long for a return to simpler times.
This Zach Bryan album is GOOOOOOOOOOD! It feels honest, heartfelt and authentic. The exact opposite of what we are fed every day in our feeds. I think the success of Zach Brown is a reflection of what people crave most in a time of chaos, information overload, and the pervasive completion to meticulously curate the perfect life (neigh, existence! horse!).
The music feels genuine and provides a relatable escape from the digital noise, providing emotional connection and a return to simpler, heartfelt storytelling. Country music hasn't been historically welcomed by younger people because it has sucked for a really long time – Florida Georgia Line, Dan & Shay (the new Rascal Flatts!), Luke Bryan – it's all been so bad for so long. Zach Bryan is different, and I think people can feel that difference.
🎶 Zach Bryan (feat. Kacy Musgraves) – I Remember Everything
🎶 Zach Bryan (feat. Maggie Rogers) – Dawns
[Earlier this year, he dropped "Dawns," a duet with Maggie Rogers. His latest single with Kacey Musgraves, "I Remember Everything," a classic country ballad, recently debuted at the Billboard 100's top spot]
Also, a quick shout out to the Instagram cult classic, The Man Who Captured Sunshine. His hats/shirts are very cool and are the perfect representation of Country Retro Futurism.
UPDATE
Based on reader interest/feedback, I've added even more artists to the musical quadrant above, as well as some of my favorite songs below (and these aren't deep cuts – these are flagship bangers that should give anyone new to an artist a good sense of their sound):
🎶 Jason Isbell – Cover Me Up
🎶 Sturgill Simpson – Turtles All The Way Down
🎶 Drive-By Truckers – Outfit
🎶 Gillian Welch – Everything is Free
🎶 Waxachtee – Lilacs
🎶 Ryan Bingham – Southside of Heaven
🎶 Ryan Adams – Oh My Sweet Carolina
🎶 Big Thief – Certainty
🎶 Justin Townes Earle (RIP 🙏) – Graceland