Some chapters end with silence, but Zach Bryan is closing his with a blade and a ballad.
The Oklahoma-born singer and songwriter is no stranger to bleeding on paper, and with the release of his sixth studio album, With Heaven on Top, he is doing exactly that. One song in particular, “Skin,” has fans raising eyebrows and their whiskey glasses because it sure sounds like Bryan finally had something to say to his ex-girlfriend, Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, and he is not holding back.
Zach Bryan may be married to Samantha Leonard now, but the shadow of that wild and very public breakup with Brianna has been looming for over a year. While she has been plenty vocal about the relationship on her podcast, calling it emotionally abusive and revealing some jaw-dropping details like a twelve-million-dollar NDA and a freak-out over a Morgan Wallen song, Bryan has stayed mostly quiet. That is, until now.
The track “Skin” feels like a lyrical release of everything he has been holding in. He does not name names, but the message is clear. Bryan sings about taking a blade to his tattoos, saying he is ready to cut out the pieces of her that still live on his body. Brianna once shared she had “how lucky are we” inked on her arm, a lyric from his song “28,” and Bryan reportedly had a tattoo inspired by her long before they were official.
“I’m taking a blade to my old tattoos
I’m draining the blood between me and you
I’m taking a blade to my own skin
And I ain’t never touching yours again”
That is not heartbreak. That is resolve.
And it keeps cutting. In the second verse, Bryan questions her moral high ground, her friendships, and her pattern of behavior. He does not pretend to be a saint either. He owns his flaws and admits he is learning to carry them without self-destruction.
For You
“Do you still talk shit on all your friends?
I’m here to take it all to the chin
This time, stone cold sober”
It sounds like a man who is done with drama and tired of being misunderstood. It is the most pointed he has ever been, but there is no need for theatrics, just raw honesty.
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While “Skin” hits hard, it is not the only track that reflects on his past. “Plastic Cigarette” and “With Heaven on Top” also feel like pages from a chapter he is trying to leave behind. The whole album leans into growth, showing a more grounded Zach Bryan. He is not looking for pity or revenge. He is rebuilding, and the songs show the work.
On the other side of the heartbreak is a new love. Songs like “Slicked Back” and “Runny Eggs” show a more tender side, almost certainly inspired by Samantha Leonard, the woman he married on New Year’s Eve. Those tracks contrast sharply with the tension of “Skin,” marking a clear divide between who he was and who he is trying to become.
Brianna has told her story loudly and often. Now Bryan is telling his through the only outlet he has ever really trusted, which is his music. Whether or not the public ever hears the full truth from both sides, one thing is obvious. Zach Bryan is done rehashing the past and ready to make peace with it one lyric at a time.
