Foy Vance has opened an ambitious new chapter in his songwriting career with IF: WE, the first of three EPs selected from a collection of 119 songs written across almost three decades. The release coincides with confirmation of Australian dates in January and February 2027, with The Paper Kites joining him for three shows.
Northern Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance has released IF: WE, the first instalment of an ambitious three-part recording project, and announced an Australian tour for January and February 2027.
The five-track EP begins a project that revisits Vance’s songwriting history through 16 selected songs, drawn from a remarkable archive of 119 compositions spanning almost 30 years.
Rather than approaching the material as a conventional retrospective, Vance has given the project a more personal framework. Each of the three EPs explores a different perspective, with IF: WE examining the collective experience of family, community, belonging, homesickness and the acceptance of failure.
The selection process was handed to American producer Anderson East. Vance presented him with the 119 songs and allowed him to decide which compositions should make the final collection. The resulting 16 songs have been divided into three chapters: IF: WE, IF: YOU and IF: I.
The second instalment, IF: YOU, will turn towards relationships, while IF: I will complete the series with a more inward examination of the individual.
One of the most revealing songs on IF: WE is “Don’t Move”, a composition that has waited more than two decades for its release.
The song originated during the early 2000s, when Vance was recording an album that was eventually shelved. Looking back, he sees that period as an important turning point in understanding what he wanted from music and the reasons he continued writing.
“I’d made that first album with intentions that weren’t altruistic, and that’s why everything fell apart,” Vance said.
“But it was okay, because I realized that instead of chasing something I didn’t believe in, I just needed to write the songs I wanted to write and whoever liked them would be my audience. I think that song was sort of telling me, ‘Don’t move, don’t give up, don’t lose your hope.'”
The story behind “Don’t Move” gives the new project an important connection between Vance’s earlier ambitions and the songwriter he has become. It also explains why IF is more than an exercise in revisiting old material. The songs document the decisions, disappointments and personal discoveries that have shaped his career.
East produced and recorded all five tracks at Sanctuary Blonde Studio in Nashville. The collaboration brings together Vance’s distinctive songwriting with East’s production approach.
The EP opens with “Feel The Cold”, followed by “Don’t Move”, “Stoke My Fire”, “Know By Now” and “Concubine”. “Know By Now” was co-written with acclaimed American songwriter Lori McKenna.
The release follows Vance’s March 2026 album The Wake and provides another perspective on a catalogue that has moved between folk, soul, blues and deeply personal storytelling. His work has also reached audiences through film and television placements, helping establish an international following beyond the traditional singer-songwriter audience.
Vance is signed to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man label, continuing a relationship with an artist who has publicly championed his songwriting.
The Australian dates form part of Foy Vance’s 2027 World Tour: Celebrating The Wake And The Songs Of IF, presented by Frontier Touring.
Australia last welcomed Vance in 2023. The 2027 return will take him to Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, with The Paper Kites joining him for the Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth performances.
The Sydney concert will take place at Taronga Zoo, with New Zealand singer-songwriter Bic Runga appearing as special guest.
For The Paper Kites, the tour provides another opportunity to share a stage with an artist whose music occupies a similarly intimate songwriting space. The Melbourne band’s own international profile has grown through a catalogue that includes “Bloom”, “Electric Indigo” and “On The Train Ride Home”.
The Australian performances will give audiences an opportunity to hear material from The Wake alongside songs from the developing IF collection and the broader Vance catalogue.
With IF: WE now available, the first part of the project is complete. The remaining EPs will extend the concept, moving from the collective experience of WE to YOU and finally I.
For Vance, the three releases represent a substantial look at the songs accumulated across a lifetime of writing, with the Australian tour providing the first opportunity for local audiences to experience this latest chapter live.
Foy Vance – IF: WE Tracklisting
Feel The Cold (Foy Vance)
Don’t Move (Foy Vance)
Stoke My Fire (Foy Vance)
Know By Now (Foy Vance, Lori McKenna)
Concubine (Foy Vance)
Foy Vance Australian Tour 2027
Saturday 30 January – The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD (with The Paper Kites)
Tuesday 2 February – Forum, Melbourne, VIC (with The Paper Kites)
Friday 5 February – Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW (with Bic Runga)
Sunday 7 February – Perth Festival, Perth, WA (with The Paper Kites)
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