Today’s Evolution of Country Music
The year is 1991. You were in high school for Kiss and Van Halen, college for Mötley Crüe and Metallica, and have been blasting Guns N’ Roses and Bon Jovi in your new car’s CD player every day since. You’ve been to countless parties soundtracked by these bands. You know the lyrics to all their hits. Even your mom thinks she has a chance with Axl Rose. Everything is happy, adolescently naive, and all about “letting the good times roll.”
Suddenly, a strange, three-man band breaks onto the scene, releasing an album that has a naked baby in a pool on the cover. Each chord struck and every lyric sung is a haunting echo of pain, longing, and disillusionment, capturing the essence of a generation's collective pent-up angst. And as weird as it might make you feel, you’re kinda starting to like it.
Nirvana opened up the door for countless ‘90s grunge bands. Think Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Mudhoney. They shed a light on the deep, dark corners of the human condition. Though it wasn’t what we were used to at the time, the grunge sound and aesthetic became just as sought after in the ‘90s as those of rock and roll in the ‘80s.
Now it’s 2024, and we’re actively witnessing history repeating itself, only this time it’s country music.
Love it or hate it, country music is back on the rise, and it’s here to stay. Trust me, I roll my eyes and cringe almost every time I hear a Luke Bryan or FGL song. I know this is a pretty common argument, but it feels like it’s all about beer, trucks, and backyards. And that’s perfectly fine.
Though it might not be your cup of tea, this laidback, good-time-centric “bro country” holds an emotional resemblance to the glamorous, electrified rock and roll of the ‘80s. We’ve all been to summer parties and bonfires where country music is the obvious choice, and no matter how you might feel about these songs, you bet your ass you know the words to more than you know.
Enter Zach Bryan. With a voice that carries the weight of a thousand lifetimes, he tells tales of love, loss, and redemption with a sincerity that pierces through the noise of everyday existence. Each heartfelt lyric is a window into the soul, inviting listeners to journey alongside him through the tumultuous highs and lows of life.
Though he’s certainly not the first country artist to put raw emotion into his work, like Nirvana, he’s become a trendsetter in his native genre. He’s cleared the way for other broken souls in the country music umbrella like Warren Zeiders, Wyatt Flores, and Oliver Anthony. Sure, we’ve had acts like Chris Stapleton and Eric Church for well over a decade now, but this new generation of sad cowboys is barreling into both our playlists and our hearts.
In the ‘90s, rock and roll experienced a seismic shift that opened the public eye to a whole new side of what the genre could offer. I believe that it’s country music’s turn to feel that change, and it’s been a long time coming. So, next time you’re at a bonfire and whoever’s on aux throws on some country, wait a second before you roll your eyes. You might be pleasantly surprised, and maybe you’ll even pull the ‘ole sneaky Shazam.
