As anticipation builds for Cory Wells’ debut full-length album, the singer/songwriter is breaking hearts and all expectations with his newest single “Broken.” The track is the latest from The Way We Are, set to be released on November 15th via Pure Noise Records. Fans can pre-order the record now at smarturl.it/cwthewayweare.
“It was the first time I’d ever been the one to break up with somebody,” Wells shares. “I remember walking down the stairs of her apartment complex to go back home, and I was so upset at the top of the stairs. By the time I got to the bottom, I didn’t even care anymore. The song represents that emotional roller coaster: It starts out big, and when it’s done, it ends really soft, like ‘I’m over it.’“
Wells will be taking his new songs across the country as he joins The Spill Canvas on their upcoming Sunsets & Car Crashes 15th Anniversary Tour. The full US-run kicks off on October 24th in Houston, and includes stops in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia before concluding in Orlando on December 15th. Additionally, he will be touring in the UK/EU in November with Dashboard Confessional. For a full list of upcoming shows, please see below or visit: www.corywellsofficial.com.
Across his debut album’s 12 songs, Wells plays the role of shapeshifter: Just when you’ve got him figured out, he unleashes new musical elements – a ferocious scream (“Walk Away“) that eventually gives way to soaring falset
to (“Cement“), stirring acoustic guitar that crescendos into fiery full-band fare. The ghosts of new-era emo torchbearers (including Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba, a contributor on “Fall Apart“) are alive and well in his lush beds of acoustic-based rock, but Wells isn’t actively summoning them. Rather, he’s a decidedly patient songwriter, waiting for the right time to pair a searing lyric with the throat-shredding vocal performance it demands.
Wells launched his solo project in 2017 with his first release for Pure Noise Records, the How to Tear Apart the Ones You Love EP, and follow-up single “End of a Good Thing” quickly became a viral hit in 2018, racking up millions of YouTube views and Spotify streams and introducing fans around the world to Wells’ storytelling.
At this point in his still-young career as a solo artist, Wells is in an enviable position: As a true student of music in all its styles and forms (“Every genre has its place, and I appreciate something from all of it.“), he’s a songwriter without limits. He’s already masterfully distilled the songs of his youth – the emotional ferocity of metal, the heart-on-sleeve confessionalism of emo and salt-of-the-earth universality of folk – into the music of his present, and looking forward, there seems to be no telling how Wells’ music will evolve from here.
You get the sense the singer prefers it that way. As it stands, he’s having too much fun keeping listeners – and even himself – anticipating what will come next.
“I could write a ton of different styles of songs, but as long as I sing them like I mean it, the songs will resonate,” he says. “I played metal because I liked it. I play this music because I love it.“
Wells will release his debut full-length album The Way We Are on November 15th via Pure Noise Records. To pre-order, please visit: smarturl.it/cwthewayweare.