Chase Bryant Records New EP ‘Cayo del Grullo’ Before Bidding Farewell to Texas

Chase Bryant fondly recalls his grandparents’ pool house as a special place from his childhood. “I grew up shooting pool in there with the guys that would come up from Mexico to work on the farm,” he reflects during an interview. “If you couldn’t beat them, you didn’t get a tortilla or taco or whatever. So, we grew up busting our teeth in there trying to become good pool players.”

Years later, during the pandemic, the ‘Little Bit of You’ singer returned to this cherished location not just to reminisce but to craft his new EP, ‘Cayo del Grullo’. This project is part of a five-part musical series that Bryant is unveiling in 2024, with each EP named after a significant place in his life. ‘Cayo del Grullo ‘was named after Baffin Bay, an area of Texas not far from my grandparents’ farm,” Bryant explains.

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Before diving into the creation of ‘Cayo del Grullo’, Bryant had to renovate the old pool house. “I took that room, and I converted that room and a part of the garage into a studio,” he details. “Ninety-nine per cent of Cayo del Grullo happened there. I went to Nashville and did a couple of things there, but it was all sort of conceived and finished there.” Bryant’s dedication to recording this EP in 

Texas was deeply personal. “It was a big come-to-Jesus for me in the sense that I knew I loved Texas, and I knew I loved that house, and all I really wanted to do was just make one record into it before I said bye to that house,” he says.

The creation of ‘Cayo del Grullo’ was intended to be straightforward and organic. “This record was my first chance to work with Chad Cromwell, Craig Young, and Bryan Sutton,” Bryant notes. “All three are heroic characters in the studio, musician and touring world alike.”

Since the recording of ‘Cayo del Grullo’ around two years ago, the significance of songs like ‘Love You My Whole Life’ has grown, especially now that Bryant and his wife, Selena Weber Bryant, are expecting their first child. The EP also features a collaboration with Jake Owen on the introspective track ‘Where the Good Ones Go’, co-written by Bryant, Bob DiPiero, and Chris Loocke. “Jake Owen has always been the absolute nicest, most stand-up guy to me out of any artist in the business,” Bryant says.

“He was just so gracious to come in and be on that song with me. And I have the utmost respect for Jake. I think he’s one of the most underrated artists there is in the genre and a walking encyclopedia of country music.”

-Sushmita Sarkar