“The Road Goes On”: Zach Bryan Shares Another New Song, ‘Sundown Girls’, Amid ICE Controversy

As Zach Bryan continues to receive flak from conservative-leaning critics due to his controversial ‘ICE’ lyric in ‘Bad News’, the ‘Revival’ hitmaker has returned to Instagram to share another new song - but this time around, it's a lot less politically charged.

Instead of reflecting on the state of the world, Bryan turns to a familiar muse for inspiration - the feelings and friends he encounters as the sun sinks into the British skyline.

Instead of finding ‘Something in the Orange’ as he laments the permanent departure of a loved one, he shares the bittersweet emotions that surface while in London, UK.

‘Sundown Girls’ has seemingly been inspired by the Oklahoma native's blockbuster double-header at BST Hyde Park last summer, which saw Bryan, Dermot Kennedy and more performing to around 130,000 fans across the two nights. It marks the second song to arise from that experience, after July's ‘Streets of London’.

In the clip, Bryan is accompanied by a haunting set of harmonies as he croons wistfully, “Recall watching the sun out in London, slowly hit the ground / Played out at Hyde Park, hoping the night star never came around / First time in so long, I'd seen your lips sing along in the back of a crowd / The road goes on ‘til it ends / Halfway across the world with them sundown girls and my friends / The road goes on ‘til it ends / We'll feel alive tonight ‘til ‘bout four of five, then sleep in”.

The ‘I Remember Everything’ singer-songwriter proceeds, “The road goes on ‘til it ends / Halfway across the world with them sundown girls and my friends / The road goes on ‘til it ends / We'll feel alive tonight up until we're dying to sleep in”.

While Bryan often shares unreleased demos and acoustic tracks via Instagram, the timing of ‘Sundown Girls’ feels pertinent, with the country titan potentially trying to take some of the heat away from the backlash he's been receiving for ’Bad News’.

In that song, Bryan observes, “And ICE is gonna come bust down your door / Try to build a house no one builds no more / But I got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone”.

Many have interpreted this as a thinly veiled jab at the ICE raids being carried out under Trump's administration, the force and aggression of which has led to widespread protests.

After being met with anger from artists such as Jake Owen, Nate Smith and John Rich, as well as the Department for Homeland Security, Bryan responded with a heartfelt statement clearing the air, “I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media. This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back”.

‘Sundown Girls’ does not address any of this furore, and serves as a reminder of the stirring, rich lyricism and raw, introspective songwriting Bryan has become synonymous with. He'll no doubt be hoping that listeners turn their attention towards this stellar new song, allowing the turmoil surrounding ‘Bad News’ to die down.

Bryan is gearing up to release his eagerly anticipated new project, With Heaven On Top, on January 9th. We're hoping this ethereal, intricate offering will feature on the keenly awaited body of work, which is expected to be a full-length studio album.

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