“We've Come a Long Way”: Zach Bryan Teases Emotional New Song, ‘Cannonball’

It looks like Zach Bryan hasn't been deterred from sharing new music, after the nationwide furore that ensued when he uploaded a snippet of ‘Bad News’, which was interpreted by some conservative-leaning commentators as criticising the ICE raids.

But fans will be pleased to see the Oklahoma native isn't letting all that angst and turmoil slow him down, with Bryan taking to Instagram to serve up a tantalising clip of another unreleased track, which appears to be titled, ‘Cannonball’.

It finds the ‘Something in the Orange’ singer-songwriter crooning wistfully about the journey of romance across a forlorn, atmospheric guitar riff, “We've come a long way since those / Drunk days on backroads / You and your high hopes always stayed down / You always saw the best in me / High in Yosemite we hide”.

The tale takes place on the West Coast, with Bryan regaling the listener with flickering vignettes from Reno casinos in Nevada and a safe-haven in California's Yosemite.

There's another set of vocals delivering harmonies throughout ‘Cannonball’, which could belong to New York prodigy, Grumpy, who appears on ‘With Heaven On Top’, ‘This World's a Giant’, ‘High Road’ and numerous other tracks in Bryan's vault.

However, we're wondering if ‘Cannonball’ could actually include a surprising guest feature from Brandi Carlile. The ‘Party of One’ crooner has commented on Bryan's Instagram snippet of the song with a simple love-heart emoji. It's possible, of course, that Carlile is simply showing appreciation for Bryan's songwriting. But given Bryan's controversies in recent years, such as being accused of emotional abuse by his ex, Brianna LaPaglia, Carlile's association through this comment is undoubtedly unexpected, and could hint that she's a guest on the track.

We'll have to wait and see if Bryan plans to drop ‘Cannonball’ soon, with the country-folk titan having a penchant for sharing standalone singles in the Fall. If not, we're hoping the song makes its way onto his January 2026 album, With Heaven On Top.

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