Foy Vance Shares Strikingly Honest “We Almost Made It”

Announced series of special record store events in cities including NYC, Nashville and LA

Today (2.11), Scotland-based, Emmy Award-winning singer-songwriter Foy Vance shares “We Almost Made It” as the final preview of his upcoming album, The Wake. Out March 13 via Rounder Records, The Wake marks the completion of a 26-year grief journey, defined by tireless soul-searching and life-altering revelation to create a series of seven albums following the passing of his father in 1999. 

While all of The Wake bears a raw emotional honesty, Vance taps into a particularly gutting vulnerability on “We Almost Made It.” Written on a porch in Sewanee in the Tennessee summertime, the hushed and lovely track unfolds in luminous guitar tones and gently tumbling drums as Vance expresses a bittersweet heartache. 

“As with a lot of my songs, there’s a typically Irish yearning in that one,” says Vance. “I’ve failed a variety of relationships, and every time it felt like hope was sitting quietly somewhere in the background. It’s that hopeless romantic in me saying, ‘We almost made it. If we just give it one more go, maybe we can make it this time.’” 

Listen to “We Almost Made It” here

Pre-Save and Pre-Order The Wake

The 13-track The Wake is written and performed by Foy Vance and produced by Ethan Johns (the Brit Award–winning producer known for his work with Paul McCartney, Ray LaMontagne, and more). At turns devastating, ecstatic and wildly illuminating, The Wakecarries a title that reflects both sorrow and the promise of healing, and reveals an artist highly attuned to the task of preserving the human spirit in an often-unforgiving world. 

“We Almost Made It” serves as the final preview of the album, expanding Vance’s ongoing exploration of humanity, faith, and grief. The autobiographical “Hi, I’m The Preacher’s Son” is a tender reflection on the parts of ourselves that never change, while “I Think I Preferred The Question” wrestles with imposed belief, “A.I.” is a wild nine-minute outcry on AI’s rise and the messy, irreplaceable humanity we all carry, and “Call Me Anytime” is a heartfelt reflection on the layers and multitudes of fatherhood.

Last month, Vance – a songwriter, artist and filmmaker – released a 21-minute documentary on the album’s genesis and creative process. The illuminating, heart-wrenching film encapsulates the career-long journey Vance has been on to make this record. Watch it here

Across the decades, Vance has built a body of work where emotional immediacy meets sweeping, soulful sound — stories told with a kind of fearlessness and fragile humanity that feel hand-carved from his own life. Albums like Joy of Nothing, From Muscle Shoals, Signs of Life, and To Memphis have shaped his singular blend of Americana, folk, and soul, drawing praise from Rolling Stone, NPR, and Billboard, and earning admiration from artists including Ed Sheeran, Bonnie Raitt, Kacey Musgraves, and Sir Elton John.

To celebrate the release of The Wake, Vance will play five intimate album release shows in NYC, LA, Nashville, London, and Belfast in March. Tickets to all shows are now sold out. Foy will also return to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on March 13th. Plus, he’ll play a special hometown show, A Celebration of Life with Foy Vance, at Custom House Square in Belfast in August. 

Today, he also announced a series of nine record store events for the month of album release. Locations include Rough Trade (NYC), Rough Trade East (London), Vinyl Tap (Nashville), Amoeba (LA) and more. Each event will feature a signed print, Q&A, and an acoustic album preview by Vance. 

See the full dates below and learn more here.