Zach Bryan Harkens Back To The Early Days Of His Career With Acoustic Version Of New Album, ‘With Heaven On Top’

A rare double-drop from Bryan.

It was a long time coming, but on Friday, Zach Bryan released his highly-anticipated sixth studio album, With Heaven On Top. After what seemed like a full year of controversy in 2025, ranging from the aftermath of his breakup with Barstool’s Brianna LaPaglia to attempting to fight Gavin Adcock at Born and Raised Fest, it feels like the Oklahoma native is looking to put the past behind him with the release of With Heaven On Top.

Upon the release of the studio version of the record on Friday, I believe it was one of the best projects to date from the “Something in the Orange” singer. For fans of Bryan’s newer sound, which has continued to venture into a more Springsteen-inspired, horn-instrument-heavy sonic style as of late, there’s a lot to love. Tracks such as “Appetite,” “Santa Fe,” “Anyways” and the highly-anticipated “Dry Desserts” sound lovely and inject the project with a tangible amount of energy throughout, thanks to the production choices.

With that being said, fans of Bryan’s darker, more introspective songs also have a lot to latch onto as well. In what feels like a call back to his early work, “DeAnn’s Denim” is yet another touching tribute to his late mother, which not only serves as a remembrance of her but also as a reflection on his newfound sobriety and his family’s history of addiction. Additionally, songs like “Skin,” which many have speculated is a shot at LaPaglia, and “Cannonball” are other all-time lyrical efforts from Bryan, with “Skin” being a personal favorite of mine.

Before the release of With Heaven On Top, however, the 29-year-old singer/songwriter would announce that an acoustic version of the album, in its entirety, would be released just three days later. In many ways, it was Bryan getting in front of the common criticism from older fans who like to complain about his recent work being “over-produced” and providing an alternative version of the record to appease both sides of his fanbase.

In an Instagram post last Thursday, Bryan would note that he didn’t want to “hear everyone whine about more stuff” regarding the production on the album, thus prompting the acoustic release.

“I’m assuming this record is just like all the other ones and there’s gonna be a billion people saying it’s over produced and s***** so I sat down in a room by myself and recorded all the songs acoustically so I didn’t have to hear everyone whine about more stuff.

There’s mistakes and I didn’t redo any of them but this’ll be out three days after ‘With Heaven On Top’ drops tomorrow. This was a painting hanging on the wall that we recorded all the songs in when we got there.”

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As for today’s new acoustic version of With Heaven Top, there’s ultimately a lot to like. As mentioned earlier, it’s clear that this version exists essentially to appease fans of his older work such as DeAnn and Elisabeth, which were quite obviously recorded acoustically before Bryan signed to Warner Records and became the superstar he is today. What results is much more raw versions of all the tracks that allow the listener to really focus on the lyrics, something that was clearly a staple in his older compositions.

In particular, I think “Bad News,” his “anti-ICE” track that caused a media firestorm and prompted both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House to condemn him, benefits greatly from an acoustic version. As I said in my reflection of the album on Friday, the song is far from a far-left or anti-American anthem. Despite many labeling it as such, I’d go as far as to say it reflects how many of us are feeling right now. In many ways, the country feels far from what many imagine it to be as of late — and Bryan depicts this perfectly here.

In the acoustic version, the tempo is slowed down slightly, additionally having less production present, obviously. Personally, I think it allows the song to be more easily digestible. Though it still probably won’t win back reactionaries who wrote the song off after the firestorm back in October, it’s a highly successful song on all fronts, especially acoustically.

As for other notable changes in the acoustic version, fans received the original demo version of “Anyways” that Bryan posted months ago as a short snippet. In case you aren’t familiar with it, the snippet quickly became a fan-favorite, often being titled “Birdie” due to him singing, “I’m feeling f****** empty, Birdie” in the teaser. Though it’s quite short, only being one minute and twenty-four seconds, it’s a nice little addition for his most dedicated fans.

“Rivers and Creeks,” one of the most controversial songs among fans, thanks to Bryan’s odd, Elvis-esque vocal inflections throughout, is another track that benefits from an acoustic treatment. Though I’m all for artists experimenting with their sound and vocals, the studio version ultimately fell flat. Here, Bryan delivers a much better version, restraining heavily from a vocal perspective compared to the first recording.

Other songs that stand out acoustically are “Sundown Girls,” “Miles” and “South and Pine,” all of which benefit greatly from a slightly slowed-down tempo and stripped-back production.

Ultimately, the acoustic version of With Heaven On Top is undoubtedly a neat addition to Bryan’s discography. Though I don’t think it will truly win over critics of Bryan, mainly due to the songs still being the same at their core, it’s a welcome change compared to how most artists roll out their albums. I see longtime fans of the “I Remember Everything” singer latching on heavily to this version, thanks to it primarily harkening back to his early work. Either way, I would give it a chance, especially if you enjoyed his early albums better compared to his most recent efforts.

“Anyways”

“Rivers and Creeks”

“Bad News”

The post Zach Bryan Harkens Back To The Early Days Of His Career With Acoustic Version Of New Album, ‘With Heaven On Top’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.