Acclaimed singer-songwriter Cory Branan returns today with "Ricochet," the latest single from his forthcoming album You'll Live, arriving October 9.
Following last fall's "Steppin' Outside" featuring Tyler Childers and this spring's "Kathleen," "Ricochet" offers another compelling look into Branan's seventh studio album and second release for Blue Élan. Alongside "Kathleen," the song wrestles with what remains after life's illusions fade and reality settles in—a theme Branan explores with equal parts humor, heartache and hard-earned wisdom.
Over the course of more than two decades, Branan has built one of the most respected catalogs in Americana by refusing to be confined by genre. Rolling Stone called him "a country boy with a punk-rock heart," while NPR praised his "career stacked with lonesome country anthems to life on the road, delivered in a voice that's pleasantly weathered." Whether drawing from folk, country, punk or Southern rock, Branan has always allowed the song—not expectations—to determine the path.
Produced by Anthony da Costa, You'll Live is perhaps the clearest reflection of that philosophy. The album moves effortlessly between intimate confessionals, expansive storytelling, existential reflection and bursts of punk energy, united not by style but by Branan's unmistakable voice and unwavering commitment to emotional honesty.
With "Ricochet," Branan continues that journey, examining what echoes back after certainty disappears. It's a poignant reminder that even after illusions fall away, there is still meaning to be found in what remains.