Woe, Is Me Drop “Here’s To Me (A Story To Tell Pt. 2)” Video, Break Silence on Lineup Changes and Japan Tour Fallout

Woe, Is Me have released a brand-new music video for “Here’s To Me (A Story To Tell Pt. 2)”, which made its premiere via Metal Injection. The track officially arrives on streaming platforms tomorrow, April 11th, and serves as the lead single from the band’s forthcoming third full-length album—their first since 2012’s Genesi[s].

In a statement about the track, the band shared:

“As far as ‘Here’s To Me (A Story To Tell Pt. 2),’ we feel like this is the perfect first single. It pretty much has a little of everything that you can expect from this album and the direction we are going. We’re excited about the future and stoked to finally release new music.”

The release comes amid some internal shakeups within the band. Last month, the group confirmed they had parted ways with longtime vocalist/keyboardist Ben Ferris. It’s now also been revealed that his brother, bassist Cory Ferris, is no longer part of the band either. Both had previously departed in 2012 but returned in 2022 for the band’s reunion run.

Ben Ferris addressed his exit publicly in late March, expressing frustration with how things unfolded:

“It’s been a ride. I’ve met a ton of amazing people and formed lifelong friendships while playing music over the last 17 years. But I’m not going to be in WIM moving forward. This was not my choice. I’m insanely disappointed in the decision-making that brought us to this point. I’m disappointed in myself for allowing them to be in my wedding.”

“Impulsivity and short-sighted thinking bankrupted a talent buyer in Japan. Fans were let down. That’s not okay. To be very clear, I voted on honoring our commitment to go to Japan.”

“It’s an odd feeling to see something you helped build get bastardized. An album will come out soon, and I’m proud of the work I did on it. I’m pissed and I feel betrayed, but it’s worth listening to. Thanks for reading. See y’all around.”

This week, the band issued an official statement addressing both the lineup changes and the controversy surrounding their canceled Japanese tour. Speaking on Monday, April 7th, they shared the following:

“We want to state officially that the band has parted ways with the Ferris brothers. Despite what you may or may not have read before now, decisions like this are never easy. We have no ill-will towards Ben and Cory and wish them the best, but we do want to explain things from our perspective.”

“We have worked extremely hard over the last year on this new album. The amount of dedication and passion for the music has been our driving force, because that’s what brought us here to begin with; the love of music.”

“Without going into detail about their involvement in the creation of this album, we’ll simply say that the album would’ve sounded the same whether they were in the band during the writing process or not. The lack of interest and participation in something the rest of us sacrificed so much for ultimately led to deciding to continue on as just the five of us.”

They also addressed rumors surrounding the now-canceled Japanese tour:

“We absolutely hated canceling the shows and apologize emphatically to everyone who was negatively impacted. But to dispel any rumors, from the time these shows were booked up to now, the band has had no direct contact with the promoter of the shows.”

“Furthermore, the narrative that the band stole/kept money from the promoter is 100% false, as we never actually received any money, including any form of a deposit. This lie has unfortunately been perpetuated by individuals who know it isn’t true, and it is extremely disappointing. Again, we apologize for canceling.”

The band has not yet confirmed a release date for their upcoming album, but “Here’s To Me (A Story To Tell Pt. 2)” offers the first preview of what fans can expect from the next chapter of Woe, Is Me.

[Via Metal Injection]

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