Singer/songwriter Cory Wells has dropped another single ahead of the release of his highly anticipated debut full-length album. Fans can check out “Cement,” along with a brand new music video, now exclusively on Rock Sound. The Way We Are is set to be released on this Friday, November 15th via Pure Noise Records. Pre-orders are available now at smarturl.it/cwthewayweare.
“Cement is one of my favorite songs on the record and probably the most out of left field,” shares Wells.” It’s about accepting each other’s differences. No relationship is perfect. People seem to turn and run at the first sign of unhappiness. A relationship of pure happiness is just not realistic and this song highlights that and what it means to persevere.
He continues: “The song starts with the line “you’re a mess, I’m a wreck. It’s the way we are.” And it sounds so depressing and longing for change, but when it repeats at the end it’s so relieving. It’s just who we are and that’s okay. I think it’s a great song to release right before the album because it sums up everything on the record almost like a conclusion paragraph at the end of an essay. I really hope people can appreciate the emotions put into “The Way We Are.” It’s my life. It’s yours too.’“
Wells is currently on tour in the UK/EU with Dashboard Confessional, and will be joining The Spill Canvas in the United States later this month. 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 this Friday, November 15th via Pure Noise Records. To pre-order, please visit: smarturl.it/cwthewayweare.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
11/14 – London, UK @ St. Pancras Old Church – Sold Out **
11/15 – London, UK @St. Pancras Old Church – Sold Out **
11/17 – Paris, FR @ Boule Noire **
11/18 – Brussels, BEL @ AB Club **
11/19 – Munchen, GER @ Feierwek **
11/20 – Berlin, GER @ Privatclub – Sold Out **
11/22 – Cologne, GER @ Luxor – Sold Out **
11/23 – Eindhoven, NL @ Dynamo11/29 – Saint Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar and Hall **
11/30 – Cudahy, WI @ X-Ray Arcade
12/1 – Columbus, OH @ Skullys Music Diner
12/3 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
12/4 – Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
12/5 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls
12/6 – Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room
12/7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel
12/8 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
12/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater
12/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
12/12 – College Park, MD @ Milkboy Arthouse
12/13 – Greensboro, NC @ Blind Tiger
12/14 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
12/15 – Orlando, FL @ Sound Bar
** – Show with Dashboard Confessional