Zach Bryan - Boys Of Faith EP (2023) Hi-Res

Five new songs from the prolific star, with Noah Kahan and Bon Iver features. Does Zach Bryan ever sleep? The wildly popular country singer-songwriter is also wildly prolific, dropping this surprise quintet of songs just weeks after releasing his massive self-titled album, itself coming on the heels of the string of loosies and EPs Bryan released in the year since blowing up with 2022’s American Heartbreak.

Boys of Faith features Noah Kahan on “Sarah’s Place.” In addition, Rob Moose plays fiddle on “Sarah’s Place,” as well as “Nine Ball” and “Pain, Sweet, Pain.” He’s credited with strings on “Boys of Faith,” too.

In his recent review of Zach Bryan for Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky wrote, “From the cozy tape hiss to the muted trumpets throughout, you get the sense that Bryan holds a copy of For Emma, Forever Ago very close to his heart.”

Boys of Faith opens with “Nine Ball”, a new song whose roots-rock production hews closely to Zach Bryan tracks like “Overtime” and “Fear and Friday’s”. The tune is also reminiscent of Jason Isbell, a major influence on Bryan—particularly Southeastern deep cut “Super 8”, with its devil-may-care attitude, and The Nashville Sound’s wistful “Last of My Kind”. Noah Kahan joins Bryan on “Sarah’s Place”, the “Stick Season” singer-songwriter lending harmony vocals and sounding like he’s having a great time doing it. Bryan teased the title track, a collaboration with Bon Iver, on social media in advance of Boys of Faith’s release, with the somewhat surprising pairing sounding like two sides of the same downtrodden coin.

While that collaboration may grab all the headlines, the EP also boasts a recorded version of “Deep Satin”, a fan favourite song of Bryan’s that many fans begged for after it didn’t make the tracklist on that self-titled LP. Its studio incarnation crackles with the same urgency found in the live versions floating around online, with gritty, off-the-cuff-sounding production to flesh it out. Bryan closes Boys of Faith with “Pain, Sweet, Pain”, another deserving unreleased tune getting the long-awaited studio treatment.

The title track features Bon Iver. The new EP comes on the heels of his No. 1 album Zach Bryan. Listen to the EP and the Justin Vernon–featuring title track below.