Plastic Cigarette

Last updated
"Plastic Cigarette"
Single by Zach Bryan
from the album With Heaven on Top
ReleasedJanuary 16, 2026
Genre Country
Length3:05
Label
Songwriter Zach Bryan
Producer Bryan
Zach Bryan singles chronology
"We're Onto Something"
(2025)		"Plastic Cigarette"
(2026)

"Plastic Cigarette" is a song by American singer-songwriter Zach Bryan, released to radio on January 16, 2026 as the lead single from his sixth studio album With Heaven on Top (2026). [1]

Contents

Background

Zach Bryan teased the song on social media prior to its release and debuted it live in June 2025 during a show at Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland. [2]

Composition

The song features an accompaniment of acoustic guitars and percussion. It also uses vocal harmonies to emphasize certain lines and a warmer sound for the chorus. Lyrically, Bryan centers on failed relationships, and alludes to his ex-girlfriends Hannah Duncan [3] and Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia. [4] [5] He begins by mentioning that he has not written a love song in a long time. In the next verse, Bryan addresses some of his personal struggles, singing about someone who told him to quit drinking and thought he would die before the age of 30, and references the impact of his parents' divorce during his childhood. He tells his former partner that they should move on in the chorus, while in the third verse Bryan draws an analogy between her collecting shells on the beach and starting a relationship with him, [3] before referencing his first meeting with LaPaglia (during his concert in Queens) while calling her "evil". [3] [4] [5] The song ends with him accepting the end of a relationship. [3]

Critical reception

Regarding the song's lyrical content about LaPaglia, Billy Dukes of Taste of Country wrote "It's obscure and to focus on it is to miss some pretty poetry during the first verse and chorus." [4] Matt Mitchell of Paste described the song as "especially pleasant" and commented "the last lines ('I saw you on the river's edge, draggin' on a plastic cigarette with your swim top still wet') make vaping sound halfway pretty." [6]

Charts

Chart performance for "Plastic Cigarette"
Chart (2026)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [7] 43
Canada Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [8] 11
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [9] 49
Ireland (IRMA) [10] 5
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [11] 3
Norway (IFPI Norge) [12] 42
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 35
UK Singles (OCC) [14] 29
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] 13
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [16] 2
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [17] 3

References

  1. ↑ Fagioli, Roberto (January 13, 2026). "Plastic Cigarette - Zach Bryan". EarOne (in Italian). Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  2. ↑ Mower, Maxim (June 21, 2025). "Zach Bryan Performs Live Debut of Unreleased Song, 'Plastic Cigarettes', During Opening Night in Dublin". Holler. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Innes, Daisy (January 9, 2026). "'Plastic Cigarette' by Zach Bryan – Lyrics & Meaning". Holler. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Dukes, Billy (January 9, 2026). "8 New Zach Bryan Songs People Can't Quit Talking About". Taste of Country. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 Frank, Jason P. (January 9, 2026). "Zach Bryan Burns the Chickenfry". Vulture . Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Mitchell, Matt (January 15, 2026). "Zach Bryan's sixth album is compelling, frustrating, and too damn long". Paste . Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 26, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart: 16 January 2026 – 22 January 2026". Official Charts Company . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  11. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 26, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Singel 2026 uke 04". IFPI Norge . Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 4, 2026". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 22/1/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved January 21, 2026.
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