Hilary Cousins opens up on the meaning behind "The Well" - Interview
After reviewing and loving so much of his music, we finally got the opportunity to sit and speak with Hilary Cousins! Having freshly released his latest single “The Well”, we dug into everything surrounding the song, but also really got to know this artist who’s an endless “well” of creativity. Known mostly for indie, folk, and rock arrangements built around drums and guitars, Cousins takes a slight departure here, delivering a stirring piano and vocal ballad that feels both intimate and quietly monumental.
What makes this song so compelling is how it manages to feel deeply personal and completely universal at the same time. On the surface, "The Well" reads like a song written from a very specific place of grief, and in a lot of ways it is. The narrator wrestles with the loss of someone important, holding onto their memory and continuing to search for their guidance even while learning to move forward without them. But Cousins has been thoughtful about keeping the meaning open ended rather than locking it into one specific story.
The way the song blurs the line between the beloved and the divine is genuinely striking, leaving plenty of room for listeners to decide for themselves whether this is about spiritual love, romantic love, friendship, or family. It works beautifully as both a meditation on loss and a chronicle of healing.
Musically, this track marks a real shift for Cousins, and it's a gorgeous one. Originally written on acoustic guitar, the song found its final shape once Cousins brought it to longtime collaborator Chris Ranney, whose piano work gives the whole track its soaring, emotional foundation. Cousins' vocals sit right at the center of the mix, prominent, carrying every ounce of vulnerability the song calls for.
The production team behind this single is seriously stacked, with co-production from Mike Pappas, mixing from Jim Scott, and mastering from Steve Fallone, and that pedigree shows in just how polished and rich this recording sounds while never losing its emotional intimacy.
We also recently had the chance to sit down with Hilary Cousins as mentioned for an interview, attached above for anyone who wants to watch it in full. It was a lovely conversation, touching on the meaning behind the song, his production process, and the influences that shaped it, along with a look at what else he has coming down the road. Hearing him talk through his own creative instincts only deepened our appreciation for how much thought and heart went into every part of this release.
We’ll always recommend his music, but this song especially. Go ahead and click those links below to listen, follow along, and of course to dig deeper into his catalog.
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