The Glasshouse

Longing. Loss. Hard-won acceptance shines through.

The seventh album from Foy Vance, The Wake marks the completion of a decades-long journey defined by tireless soul-searching and life-altering revelation. While playing a gig in Lanzarote in January 1999, the Northern Ireland-born singer/songwriter experienced a moment of unprecedented transcendence onstage, then learned the next morning that his father had suffered a fatal heart attack that very night.

Overcome by grief and clarity, Vance immediately resolved to create seven albums informed by the loss of his father—a traveling preacher who moved their family to the American South when Vance was a baby, and set him on his life’s path by teaching him to play guitar early in his childhood. Produced by Ethan Johns (the Brit Award-winning producer known for his work with Paul McCartney, Ray LaMontagne, and more), The Wake brings Vance’s gritty vocal work to a potent convergence of folk and soul and Southern blues, instilling every moment with an unbridled vitality.

Vance’s works also include Hope, The Wild Swan (executive-produced by Elton John), From Muscle Shoals and To Memphis and 2021’s Signs of Life —the result is the purest distillation yet of his truly singular artistry, imparting a defiant joy into songs of longing, loss and hard-won acceptance.