Zach Bryan has written a love letter to the working class in Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs.

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TOP 3

3. Plainsman (feat. Turnpike Troubadours)

“Plainsman” is about a man who lives in the Oklahoma landscape and serves as one of the EP’s two collaborations. Zach Bryan and Turnpike Troubadours are all from Oklahoma, making them a fitting collaborator. This song leans into Americana, focusing largely on the open landscape, though it also goes into the individual’s endurance. It’s about love of the land and the beauty of the natural world.

2. Robot Killed The Working Man

I will always enjoy an anti-AI song. “Robot Killed The Working Man” is all about what AI has done to the working class, and the world Americans live in in general. Zach sings about how well-read, hard-working, trained workers will be replaced by AI through no fault of their own, with no empathy from the people doing the replacing. All morals and ethics are replaced by machines, and the humanity in the spaces that used to be inhabited by workers is just gone. It’s a really tragic song, but it shows the reality many Americans are facing right now with the rise of AI. More people should make songs like this.

1. Lies (feat. Lana Del Rey)

While Lana Del Rey procrastinates on giving us the album, she collects side quests, and this Zach Bryan collab is her latest. That being said, “Lies” is a beautiful song. It’s country, but there’s a very Lana Del Rey element to the strings that keeps it from being cemented in any one genre. Lana sounds ethereal. The song is about a couple whose relationship would probably be over by now if they weren’t telling each other sweet little lies and making one another feel good despite things falling down.

It doesn’t sound like they were in the studio together for this at all, but the composition and execution of the song are so lovely that I can’t complain. He sells the sadness really well on the track. I also love the Fleetwood Mac reference: “Tell me your lies, babe / Your sweet little lies” is definitely a reference to “Little Lies.”

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SONG-BY-SONG RATING

Lodi When (4/5)

Robot Killed The Working Man (4.5/5)

Lies (feat. Lana Del Rey) (4.5/5)

Dog Days (4/5)

Backwards (4/5)

Plainsman (feat. Turnpike Troubadours) (4/5)

Is The Blue Tanged In You? (4/5)

You’ll Get By (4/5)

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RGM RATING

(B)

Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs is a solid EP. Zach clearly had a specific vision and throughline within it, and it was successful. The composition and songwriting are really solid, and I know exactly who Zach Bryan is.

I’m not a very big fan of Zach’s voice. It’s expressive, and he can use it to emote, but in songs where he’s not being particularly emotional, I just find it grating. He is a clearly talented songwriter, though, and a voice that has imperfections but lots of emotion is better than a flawless voice that makes you feel nothing, in my book. He sounds interesting.

Overall, I liked this EP. I don’t see myself going back to every song, but particularly “Robot Killed The Working Man” and “Lies” will likely end up in rotation.

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