The danger surrounding being an acoustic singer-songwriter is simply falling into the similarity trap – after all, there’s only so much a person can do with an acoustic guitar – but one of the most refreshing and impressive things about All That We Are – the debut album from Cory Wells – is the variation between each and every one. No song sounds the same, but each one has a small sense of similarity, a sort of Cory Wells twang; a songwriting signature.

The album portrays, in the words of Wells, “sadness, anger, despair, happiness, uncertainty, regret, and so much more”. It’s a reflection on what it means to be human, Soaring emotions and burning passion pack out every word: The anger of ‘Wildfire’, the soft sadness of ‘Fall Apart’ (a standout track for me due to the feature of Lizzy Farrall, who’s mellow vocals add a whole other level to the song), and the falsetto and full band flare closing the album with ‘Cement’; all of this emotion paired with the sporadic yet certain nature of this Acoustic-Emo-Rock songwriting paints the perfect picture of being alive, being human, and – as the album is so aptly named – The Way That We Are.

The Way That We Are is out now via Pure Noise Records.

You can also catch Cory Wells touring the UK and EU with Lizzy Farrall and Luke Rainsford:

17.01.20 Cologne, DE @ MTC Bar

19.01.20 Leipzig, DE @ Naumanns

20.01.20 Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang

21.01.20 Berlin, DE @ Auster Club

22.01.20 Frankfurt, DE @ Ponyhof

23.01.20 Antwerp, BE @ Bouckenborgh

24.01.20 London, UK @ St Pancras Old Church

25.01.20 Birmingham, UK @ The Victoria