Chase Bryant is no stranger to country. His grandfather was a well-known Nashville session guitarist for artists like Roy Orbison, and his uncles co-founded the group Ricochet. 21-year-old Bryant is now making his first impression—and so far, so good. His debut single “Take It On Back” has been slowly climbing the Hot Country Songs chart since its release in July (it currently sits at #29, its peak). Now, the Texas native has released a self-titled EP full of solid country-pop, guitar-heavy production with feel-good choruses that stick in your head like glue.
EP opener “Wayfarer Weather” can tell you in thirty seconds that Bryant isn’t taking risks. As a listener, Chase Bryant is going to give you a hefty dose of nostalgia for summer nights, cars, and girls that just didn’t stick around. Sound familiar? “We’ll be rolling these windows down / You’ll be pulling that sweater off, putting on a summer song / and cranking it up loud” are the kind of lyrics you could find anywhere in country music right now. What Bryant lacks in originality, though, he makes up for in catchiness and charm. “Wayfarer Weather” is a summer jam with a hook you just want to sing along with. This is followed by “Little Bit of You,” a solid up-beat track about racing down a highway to get to the girl you’re dying to see.
After the first two high-energy tracks, Bryant gives us the sweet ballad “Change Your Name.” The quiet, low verses slowly build in energy with the soaring chorus proclaiming “I’ll give you all my love / every night and day / If you say I can /I wanna change your name.” It’s a nice break in the middle of four songs that are more or less the same in tempo and subject matter. This, of course, is followed by “Jet Black Pontiac” and single “Take It On Back,” two songs focused on the past Bryant seems to yearn for. “Take It On Back” is the stronger of the two, though both are catchy and radio-ready.
This EP has got youthful fun down—and Bryant doesn’t even fall into the bro-country category. Production, done by Derek George (who has worked on Randy Houser and Joe Nichols’s latest albums), is crisp country-pop, ready to be blasted in cars with the windows down. Lyrics, while nothing special, seem constructed to be sung by large crowds in amphitheaters. There’s a Rascal Flatts quality to Bryant. He’s here for a good time, but that’s not all he’s good for. His voice is unique, which will surely help him get recognized by radio listeners. If he doesn’t want to be a one-trick pony, though, he needs more variety. Consistency is key, and Chase Bryant is a solid set of five songs that work perfectly together. That being said, he’s going to need more interesting subject matters on his next release. He’s no Luke Bryan or Florida Georgia Line. Judging from Chase Bryant, though, there’s promise he can be much more than that.
3/5
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