After a disastrous 2023 season in which they went 71-91, the St. Louis Cardinals will look to bounce back in 2024 after a flurry of off-season moves targeted at addressing a variety of different needs. With the Birds first losing season since 2007 – a campaign in which they ended the season 20 games below .500 and finished last in the National League (NL) Central Division for the first time since 1990 – the organization has experienced a much-needed wake-up call on what it takes to remain competitive in the 2020s.

The Cardinals, whose pitching staff had a disheartening 4.79 Earned Run Average (ERA) in 2023, looked to meet many of their short-term pitching needs over this past offseason. Most notably, the Cardinals signed 34-year-old American League Cy Young Award Runner-Up starting pitcher, Sonny Gray, to a three-year, $75 million contract on Nov. 27; General Manager Mike Girsch also signed Veteran SP Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to one-year deals, respectively. While the organization promised the city they would add three starting pitchers before the season’s start, fans continue to have mixed feelings about the staff’s rotation, particularly because the youngest member will be left-hander Steven Matz at 32.

Miles Mikolas, who started versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on the first game of the season, commented on critics doubting the team. 

“I’m not going to tell all the people doubting us to eat s***. I’d like to, but in the off chance I’m wrong, I look like an idiot,” Mikolas said, per Athletic Writer Katie Woo. “But in the chance they’re wrong, and I’m right, that’d be pretty neat.”

James Vincent Michael O’Brien, a baseball commentator, YouTuber and internet personality better known to fans as “Jomboy,” discussed the Cardinals’ free agent signings and upcoming season on an episode of his baseball Podcast “Talkin’ Baseball.”

“Cardinals fans were excited when they said they were going to get three pitchers… and they’re still kind of upset with the three they landed on – mainly due to age,” Jomboy said. However, O’Brien commented on how the additions will serve as a turning point for the franchise moving forward. “I think with Gibby [Kyle Gibson] and [Lance] Lynn and [Sonny] Gray you are going to build a competitive-as-f*** mindset; results, we’ll see… I do think there’s a lot of guidance that they [the Cardinals front office] want from this leadership crew,” he said.

With their short-term pitching needs mostly patched up from last season, the Cards will have to put a lot of their eggs into their often polarizing offense’s basket. After a down year from franchise cornerstones Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, the first and third basemen will look to have bounce-back years. Wilson Contreras, the catcher whom the team signed in free agency in Feb. 2023, will look to remain as the Cardinal’s backstop and continue to produce offensively – much like he did regularly in the second half in 2023.

Moreover, a steady dose of the team’s young studs, including position players Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II will all look to continue to get better as they get more and more reps at the big league level. These players, who all started against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Mar. 28 in a 7-1 loss, made MLB history by serving as four players starting 23 years old or younger in an Opening Day Lineup. Moving forward, the Cardinals will begin to fall back upon these guys more as they will look to form a core to which the front office will be able to build upon.

Scott Coleman of SB Nation wrote an article previewing the Cards 2024 season titled, “2024 Season Preview: St. Louis Cardinals” on Mar. 4.

“While the NL Central may have more depth than in prior years, with the Reds showing signs of life, and the Pirates not being disastrous, it looks open for the taking if a few things break right,” Coleman said. “As of this writing, FanGraphs projects 84 wins for the Cardinals, two more than the Cubs, three more than the Brewers and four more than the Reds. The Cardinals do have the highest division odds, and a result, playoff odds slightly above 50 percent but this is pretty much a toss-up at this point,” Coleman said. “Ultimately, this looks like a race that could feature three or four teams deep into August and September, even if it’s very possible that none of those teams will be good. But the Cardinals could be good!”

The Cardinals also extended Manager Oliver Marmol through the end of 2026 – a questionable move that came after one of the worst seasons of Cardinal baseball in recent memory, let alone most SLU student’s lives.

St. Louis will also be one of nine teams getting a “City Connect” jersey in the first half of 2024, a uniform that seeks to “celebrates each city’s deep-rooted history, culture and spirit that continues to bring the clubs and their communities together,” according to MLB. That uniform will likely incorporate “the Lou” somewhere on the chest, along with a red color scheme – as none of the Redbird’s jerseys have red as their dominant color scheme. 

Overall, while there is much upside to this season of Cardinal baseball– as there usually is– it is difficult to tell whether these past offseason moves were enough to turn this team into a legitimate threat in the National League. Although this Cardinals team could make a convincing run at the NL Central and perhaps even win that title– most fans would be surprised if they are able to compete with other National League juggernauts such as the LA Dodgers or Atlanta Braves. 

The Cardinals home opener will take place on April 4th at 3:10 against the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium.

The heavily anticipated debut of the Apple Vision Pro, a mixed reality headset blurring the lines between our physical and digital worlds, has ignited a fierce culmination of anticipation and debate. In this paradoxical terrain, the Vision Pro has either been praised as a gateway to a futuristic utopia or condemned for its concerns of dystopian surveillance, and its Orwellian-like control. While this device offers a fascinating glimpse into the future of technology, it is vital first to consider subsequent social and technological implications.

Announced on June 5, 2023, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, pre-orders for the device began on Jan. 19 and was officially released on Feb. 2, 2024. Despite its staggering $3,499 starting price, Apple has already sold over 200,000 units. Interestingly, despite its rather bulky, cumbersome presentation, Apple has not marketed the device as a virtual reality headset. Instead, Apple has continually used terms such as “spatial computing,” “vision apps” and “visionOS” to suggest that the device will ultimately supersede the traditional VR headset presentation and likely manifest the technology into everyday contacts or glasses.

One of the chief concerns of the Vision Pro is that it has caused speculation on the long-term social implications of merging the physical world with our highly addictive, isolating digital media platforms. An interesting element of Apple’s newest device, which has served as their most recent major product line since the release of the Apple Watch in 2015, is that the user sees the world through a high-resolution screen, and not through their own eyesight. As people of all ages use their phones today as a “security blanket” whenever they feel uncomfortable in line or are not sure what to do with their hands, the Vision Pro may act in the same way in that humans can isolate themselves and engross themselves in their own world more than ever before.

On Feb. 3, 2024, famous YouTuber Casey Neistat released a video titled “the thing no one will say about Apple Vision Pro.” The 10-minute video serves as a candid review of the new device, showcasing how Neistat can now interact with the physical and digital realms in the heart of New York City. Throughout the video, Neistat rides his electric skateboard, takes the subway and explores Times Square, all the while his Vision Pro is equipped. 

“Something happened today that was completely unexpected, and that something – I don’t think anyone else has really touched on [regarding the Vision Pro],” Neistat said.  “After a couple of hours running around the streets of New York [City] – as it is not in a controlled environment – my brain sort of clicked, and it just forgot that I was looking through cameras and screens; it took what it saw as reality. And what occurred to me…in that moment, I was like ‘holy s***, this is it; this is the future of computing that everyone’s been promising for like the past 15 years,’” Neistat said. “This [Vision Pro] isn’t the future of AR or VR; I think this is the future interface for all computing.” 

While the social and isolating elements of the Apple Vision Pro may be alarming for our future as a social species, the technological advancements are profound. Amazingly, Apple has already filed for over 5,000 patents for technologies that have contributed to the first generation of their Vision Pro.

“The fact that [Apple] of all companies is branching into mixed reality or virtual reality is really significant – particularly with how it’s going to factor into the Apple ecosystem,” SLU Sophomore Henry Barsanti said. Barsanti, who studies Computer Science, is an avid tech enthusiast and has actively followed the release and reception of the Vision Pro. “The way it’s going to combine with their ecosystem is very unique and [is] what sets them apart from the rest,” Barsanti said. He also touched on the high price point and how it will entice future customers once it is ultimately lowered. “By having that price point [of $3,499], they’re setting themselves up for the future, especially with your ‘average joe,’” Barsanti said. “I think it’s going to be interesting to see what Apple does in the future with their subsequent models; they can kind of monopolize this new technology in the future.”

In my eyes, the days are numbered until the Apple Vision Pro ultimately arrives at Saint Louis University’s campus. Although imagining a student interacting with their own digital realm while walking down West Pine may seem bizarre today, it will likely be an unquestioned standard tomorrow. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how the Vision Pro—at SLU and beyond, will impact the distinct cultures of communities at various workplaces and institutions.

The Apple Vision Pro marks a transformative technological leap, bringing a device to market that likely presents tomorrow’s technology today. However, as we continue to navigate today, it is crucial to approach these innovations critically, always ensuring that they serve the greater good of society. Overall, the future of devices like the Vision Pro lies in our hands– whether they help us create a better future or continue to pull us away from each other as a species.

As frigid, record-low temperatures have recently plagued Saint Louis University’s North campus, one film nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards emerges as a powerful lens into the human psyche and the unsettling instincts of survival, putting those struggles in an entirely new perspective. 

“Society of the Snow,” directed by Spanish director J.A. Bayona, recounts one of the most brutal, improbable survival stories ever told. Based on Pablo Vierci’s 2008 book of the same name, the film revolves around the 1972 Andes Flight Disaster, in which a plane carrying 45 passengers, primarily an amateur Uruguayan rugby team, crashed and left them stranded in the mountains. Left for dead, 16 members of the “Old Christians” team remarkably survived the tragedy, enduring 72 days in the Andes’ bitter conditions and resorting to unthinkable measures, as depicted in the film, to stay alive.

Released in the United States on Dec. 22, 2023, the rated-R film began streaming on Netflix on Jan. 4, 2024, with an overwhelmingly positive reception; the survival-thriller received reviews of 91% and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. In addition, the film looks to remain as accurate to the original story as possible, particularly by using all the actual names of the passengers and by implementing a cast of primarily Uruguayan and Argentine actors. With a screenplay composed fully in Spanish, the film earned nominations at the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film—representing Spain—as well as Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

In the Netflix documentary film “SOTS: Who Were We on the Mountain?,” survivor of the crash Fernando Parrado recounted just how tragic their experience was.

 “This was such a terrible tragedy…Imagine losing your mother, sister and best friend on the same day and having to bury them with your own hands,”  Parrado spoke on the film’s importance to those who lost their lives,“The film gives a voice to those who didn’t make it… It was an emotional period, and it’s much more than just a movie,” Parrado said. Survivor Carlos Páez Rodríguez spoke about the rawness and weight of the survivors’ story portrayed in the film. “I only said to him [Director J.A. Bayona], ‘Feel free to do whatever you want [with the movie], but know my life’s at the heart of this [story].’”

The period piece utilizes striking visuals, a potent soundtrack and a moving use of light and sound to convey its more complex, overarching messages. Despite gripping imagery and ample moving shots, the film’s budget sat reasonably at around $65 million.

Perhaps the most disturbing and controversial aspect of the story is how the men relied on cannibalism, or eating the flesh of their fallen counterparts, to stay alive. As shown in the heavily Westernized version of the same story, “Alive” (1993), “Society of the Snow” does not shy away from the devastating and consensual nature of having to resort to eating the bodies of those they buried: friends, partners and strangers, alike. A particularly haunting scene occurs around the 44-minute mark, in which several of the surviving members, sitting in the freezing plane in which they take shelter, give the others their consent to “feed” on their bodies if they do not make it.

SLU Film & Media Studies Coordinator Alex Rafi remarked on the movie’s ability to showcase the characters and experiences of the men. 

“One of the film’s great strengths is its realism – not just in portraying the crash and its aftermath, but in breathing life into the young men, many of whom do not survive,” Rafi said. “The film, while not huge in budget, presents a deep insight into the youth of the young men who were thrown into this life and death situation and the real trauma and survivor’s guilt that who were rescued experience,” Rafi said. “Overall, the film is powerful in its dramatization – particularly in showing how young men mature in the face of an unyielding nature.” 

The film also tackles several complex themes and motifs that are inherently intertwined with the real-life story. On a physical level, the film shows the drastic toll the conditions take on the characters, particularly with their respective weights and appearances. Upon their ultimate return home as hailed heroes, they are unrecognizable, making people question for the first time: who were those men on the mountain? On a more illustrative level, the film’s technical use of symbols – such as light and noise, and instances of foreshadowing – convey distinct themes of faith, man’s will to survive in improbable conditions and survivor’s guilt. Particularly with the latter, the return home proved to be nearly more insufferable than the mountain itself, forcing the characters to confront why they were chosen to survive the impossible.

Finally, the true differentiator between this film and previous retellings of the same story is how it provides a voice to those who did not survive the tragedy. 25-year-old Numa Turcatti, played brilliantly by Enzo Vogrincic, narrates the film and serves as a leader of the tribe for much of the film. Consequently, his death near the end of the film serves as a massive shock for viewers as he leaves his fellow comrades a note with a tear-jerking yet encouraging message: “There is no greater love than to give one’s life for friends.” Numa’s death, as painful, gut-wrenching and bone-chilling as it was to watch, shows those who did not make it from an entirely new yet respectful perspective.

In the movie’s final scene, viewers see Numa’s words continuing to be heard from beyond the grave as the now-healthy survivors recover in a hospital. It is a shot seemingly reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” painting. Overall, the finale serves as the cherry on top of, perhaps, Bayona’s magnum opus, a masterpiece that seems undoubtedly Oscar-bound.

Since its inception in the late 1800s, Major League Baseball (MLB) has prided itself on being the only major sport that has not used a clock to dictate the speed or length of a game. That all changed in the 2023 MLB season and the 119th World Series – which saw the Texas Rangers defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games. As the MLB offseason nearly reaches its halfway point, the baseball world has adequate time to reflect on this past season and its historic Fall Classic.

On Sept. 9, 2022, the MLB’s Competition Committee voted on rules to implement for the major league level that specifically addressed the game’s “pace of play” and “on-field action.” These new rules included strict limitations on a team’s ability to defensively shift a hitter, a restriction on the number of pickoffs a pitcher can attempt in each at-bat, larger bases and, perhaps, most importantly, the implementation of a pitch clock. With several large timers sprinkled throughout all 30 MLB ballparks, this new rule forced pitchers to throw a pitch within 15 seconds after receiving the ball without anyone on base and 20 seconds with runners on. Many baseball purists promptly scoffed at implementing a clock into the sport, even though the timer and several of the other rules had been previously tested at all other levels of minor league baseball to immense success. 

Despite some initial hiccups and reservations displayed during Spring Training in 2023, the new rules worked superbly throughout the season. First, the new rules sped up the games significantly, shortening the average length of a 9-inning game by 24 minutes compared to last year. Additionally, with shorter and more exciting games, the total attendance for the season rose to 70.7 million fans, a 9.6% increase from the previous season. There were also 11 weekends throughout the season where total league attendance surpassed 1.5 million, with the average attendance at 29,295. The St. Louis Cardinals also served as one of eight teams that surpassed 3 million fans in attendance.

“This [implementation of the various new rules] was a fan-driven initiative,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in an interview on The Carton Show on Oct. 26. “Our research shows our fans love the rule changes. The games are shorter, there’s more action in the game, there’s more athleticism, defense, base-stealing – things that fans want to see,” Manfred said. “We feel like we’re putting the best form of baseball out on the field.” 

Second, these new rules also helped the amount of action on the field. By cutting out the game’s downtime and speeding up the pace of play, individual players could showcase their individual tools and athleticism more than ever before. This notion is shown not only in the remarkable highlights from the season but also in several eye-opening statistics, which Contributor Brad Adgate discussed in a Forbes article:

• The leaguewide Batting Average was .248 – a five-point increase from 2022.
• Runs per game increased from 8.6 to 9.3.
• Stolen bases rose to an average of 1.4 successes in 1.8 attempts.
  • The success rate of those stolen bases was 80.2% – a record-high
• Home runs increased from 5215 to 5868 – a 12.5% increase.

Consequently, many teams and individual players embraced this high-risk, high-reward style of play that many fans believe had been absent from the game for decades. For example, the World Series saw two aggressive, hungry Wild Card Teams face off against one another. In addition, the National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. created his own record-breaking club by belting over 40 home runs and stealing over 70 bases.

“Despite the occasional debacle it causes, the pitch clock may be the best thing that’s happened to any sport in recent memory,” the popular YouTube channel Baseball Doesn’t Exist explained in a September video titled, “Is MLB About To Change The Rules Again?” The channel, which has over 750 thousand subscribers to date, is designed to grow the game and primarily showcase it to younger audiences. “Every single rule change [that] MLB made has worked exactly how they wanted it to.”  

However, despite these vast improvements and accomplishments during the regular season, the viewership numbers were extremely underwhelming on some of the game’s biggest stages. Both the mid-season All-Star Game and World Series drew record-low viewers, with an average of 7.006 million and 9.11 million viewers, respectively. While these numbers are difficult not to fixate on, there seem to be reasonable explanations for why they are so low. 

First, while the All-Star Game hit another all-time low in viewership, it still remains the most-watched All-Star event across all major sports in the U.S., and viewership in males ages 18-49 and 25-54 increased around 4-6%. Second, the World Series, which saw a dramatic game one ending with an Adolis Garica walk-off homerun, did pit two smaller market teams against one another. Although these two Wild Card teams had remarkable runs to the series, it seems that the lack of any major stars or big market teams did not help the case for casual viewers who were on the fence about tuning in. This revelation also showcases that MLB must do a better job at marketing their players – no matter what teams are involved in a nationally televised matchup.

Today, MLB continues to toy with the possibility of other new rules – such as further reducing the pitch clock timer to 18 seconds with men on base. Overall, in spite of initial setbacks and viewership challenges, the new rules succeeded in modernizing America’s pastime, retaining its essence while embracing innovation – a balance crucial for shaping the game’s future and honoring its founding principles.  

An ambitious multimillion-dollar inclusive sports complex, funded by local organizations, will open at the YMCA South County campus next spring. 

The highly anticipated initiative will look to offer an unparalleled “major league” experience to all participants, marking a significant step for inclusivity and awareness of adaptive sports. By offering cutting-edge facilities, the completed complex will allow individuals with disabilities to participate in various sports and activities. 

The complex will likely be able to serve SLU students in a few distinct ways upon completion. Located about 20 minutes from SLU’s campus, SLU students can participate in and watch adaptive sports or complete service hours. 

In the past, the Chesterfield location was the closest YMCA to SLU’s campus. While the South County location still requires a commute, it is one step closer to the SLU community.

“We haven’t done a great job in the past of serving that community. This complex is a great first step,” Associate Executive Director Martin Caupp said. “It [the entire complex] speaks to the greater YMCA mission.”

Caupp also said the new complex will spread awareness of adaptive sports and provide opportunities for people who do not have regular access to adaptive facilities. He mentioned that the YMCA is expecting a wide draw from all over the state, with some families making up to a 90-minute commute to use the facilities. 

“We’re itching to get started and begin programming,” Caupp said. 

One of the main features of the state-of-the-art complex is a Miracle Baseball Field, which will include a synthetic turf field, a barrier-free dugout, a scoreboard, a spectator pavilion and a concession stand upon completion.

Designed to recreate the look and feel of Busch Stadium, there will also be a silhouette of the St. Louis Gateway Arch in the outfield, just another way to help the participants like their major league counterparts. It will also host the 2025 Miracle League All-Star Game, an annual celebration bringing Miracle League players worldwide to participate in all-star games and festivities.  

The complex will also feature an accessible, high school-sized soccer field, a sensory-rich playground and a walking and running track. According to Caupp, it will include ample ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible parking. 

The YMCA will begin programming activities for youths and adults on the complex, such as football, soccer and bocce ball – while continuing to run other adaptive indoor sports, such as basketball. According to a University of Washington article, adaptive sports are “sports that are modified to allow people with physical and sometimes mental disabilities to participate.”

“I think this [complex] is a huge step in making adaptive sports more mainstream,” SLU sophomore Grace Lopiccolo said. 

Lopiccolo, a self-proclaimed disability advocate, has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder, a neuromuscular disease that currently affects her hands, feet and legs. She regularly performs various exercises and stretches to prevent further muscle atrophy caused by the disease. 

“I serve in SGA and am in so many conversations regarding CADR (Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources), and ways we can make SLU more welcoming to people with disabilities,” Lopiccolo said. “Last year, I served as our senator for opportunity and ability. In that role, I released a resolution to the administration requesting that SLU does more to help people with disabilities.” 

Lopiccolo also serves as the president of Beyond Ability (SLUBA), a disability advocacy and inclusion club on campus. 

“Most of my ‘advocacy’ is me just being open about my disability… I think that visibility is a huge part of activism, so having this be a focus on this [YMCA] project means a lot to the disabled community.” 

Gallery • 3 Photos

Rendering of a soccer field which will be part of the Adaptive Sports Complex at the YMCA in South County.

Additionally, in conjunction with an existing array of volunteer opportunities already available at South County YMCA, the finalized complex will introduce new opportunities for students who need to complete service hours. On its website and in-person, the YMCA makes it clear that everyone is welcome to volunteer and that “no athletic experience [is] required.”

“If you can do it and become a volunteer, do it – because it’s great. It’s a good community,” Ashley Perulfi said. 

Perulfi, 23, has worked at the YMCA for nearly three years and serves as the site director during the school year and as the Sports Summer Camp Director during the summer. 

“You get to work with a lot of different people. Each kid has been able to open my eyes on something different,”  Perulfi said. “They [students] should try and come out and see it because they might not realize that it’s something that they could actually use… they’re [the YMCA] hopefully going to open it up to more people that want to be a part of the Y.”

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinals Care, the team’s charitable foundation since 1997, broke ground on the complex at Tesson Ferry and Schuessler Road on Sept. 7, 2022. The other partners associated with the project are Gateway Region YMCA, the Boniface Foundation, Miracle League and Mercy – who later joined the endeavor with a $250,000 contribution.

With only $800,000 remaining to reach their target, the South County YMCA is actively fundraising and seeking donations through its website to finalize this initiative.

Although the complex was specifically designed for those with disabilities, it will eventually be opened to the public, allowing anyone – with or without a membership – to use the baseball field, soccer field, track or playground, unless previously scheduled programs are taking place. 

The comprehensive sports complex embodies an impressive leap towards inclusivity and awareness, encapsulating the commitment to making sports accessible for all, as expressed by Caupp and echoed by various voices in the community.

Zach Bryan’s self-titled fourth studio album made history by securing his first number-one spot on the Billboard Top 200. Released on Aug. 25, 2023, the 16-track album has not only amassed over 200,000 album-equivalent units but has also earned critical acclaim for its raw, emotional storytelling, a consistent trend from the 27-year-old. Some are even comparing Bryan’s uprising in country music to that of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, a grunge rock band that reinvented and redefined the Rock genre in the 1990s.

Fittingly, the album that bears Bryan’s name is entirely self-produced, with Warner and Belting Bronco Records serving as the label companies, respectively. With a runtime of 54 minutes and 23 seconds, each individual song tells a unique story and provides a lens into the artist’s mind through Bryan’s raspy, soulful voice. This remarkable element of Bryan’s music, which can be found in virtually every song he creates, is an uncommon trend amongst mainstream musicians today. The vulnerability and relatability of Bryan’s work has put the young artist on the map. “Zach Bryan” also features guest appearances by Kasey Musgraves, The War and Treaty, Sierra Ferrell and The Lumineers.

“I’ve got no grand explanation for these songs, I [have] got no riddle in reasoning behind writing them,” Bryan said in an Instagram post. “I just wrote some poems and songs that I want to share because I think they’re special. Some of them are heavy, some of them are hopeful, but more than anything what’s most important to me is that they’re all mine.” 

The album immediately skyrocketed and has earned the largest streaming week for a Rock album in Billboard chart history.

Despite his newfound stardom, Bryan has come from humble beginnings. Born in Okinawa, Japan, while his parents were stationed in the Navy, the musician was raised in Oklahoma, received his first guitar at 14 and enlisted in the Navy at 17, using his free time to write songs. In 2017, an iPhone video of Bryan singing “Heading South” outside of his Navy Barracks went viral on YouTube, and the world saw the gripping, emotional weight that Bryan’s voice and music holds. The raw and moving YouTube video has generated over 23 million views and 288 thousand likes to date. Bryan received an honorable discharge in 2021 after serving for eight years and went on to pursue music full time.  

The groundbreaking musician has combined country, rock, folk and americana into one distinctive sound. Bryan’s debut album “DeAnn” came out in 2019 and was named after his late mother. Bryan’s third studio album and major label debut, “American Heartbreak,” was a major turning point for the singer, as it was the first time his music garnered national recognition. The album’s second track, “Something in the Orange,” instantly became the album’s most popular song and ultimately took the number-one spots on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs and the U.S. Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. Despite his country roots, Bryan refuses to cater to modern-day country music stereotypes, unlike many of the major country artists of today, and helped push country music to mainstream media for the first time in 30 years.

Fans have already even compared Bryan’s impact on country to Nirvana, proclaiming that he has made country music cool again like Kurt Cobain did with rock in the ‘90s. The most prominent leader of this notion is Grady Smith, a country music advocate who has written for major publications and has over 200-thousand subscribers on YouTube. In 2015, Smith wrote an article for “The Guardian” titled, “Country music is the new hair metal – and we need a Nirvana moment,” which discussed how country was facing an image problem, how it had become dominated by formulaic, bro-country party anthems, and how it needed a “Nirvana moment” to save the genre. However, on Sept. 6, 2023, Smith released a follow up video, “This is Country Music’s Nirvana Moment,” stating that Byran’s refusal to cater to modern country music stereotypes is almost identical to how grunge band Nirvana helped redefine Rock music in the 1990s.

“[Zach Bryan] is almost in the same position within country music that Nirvana was in Rock music 30 years ago,” Smith said. “Just like the [rock] industry had to figure out why Nirvana was popular and swallow their own pride, the country music industry is continuing to learn they’re going to need to reckon with this sound being the cool sound of country music in order to move forward and stay relevant,” he said. “I think it’s cool. We’re in the midst of a full-on country music revolution.”

Bryan’s North American “Quittin Time Tour” will begin in March 2024 and will go until December of that year. He will be stopping in St. Louis and playing at the Enterprise Center on May 3 and 4, 2024, with The Middle East and Levi Turner. 

In a trailblazing moment for his career, Zach Bryan’s eponymous fourth studio album historically marked an important milestone in the resurgence of authentic storytelling within country music. Defined by its raw emotional depth, unique sound and refusal to conform to modern country stereotypes, Bryan’s music has sparked a revival reminiscent of Nirvana’s impact on rock in the ‘90s, positioning him as a leader in a country music revolution that continues to challenge the status quo.