The duo of actor Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields formed two decades ago and call themselves Dead Man's Bones. Before releasing "Lost in the Night" this week, the group had not dropped any new songs since 2010. Their only album came out in 2009 and was self-titled.
The theme for the songs is mostly the same: To be slightly creepy but with musical quality. Gosling and Shields met because they both loved frightening stories and may or may not have believed in ghosts. The 2009 album also included the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir, which was founded by Flea, and augments the spooky feel.
Still, the duo wasn't about making throwaway music. They played all the instruments themselves, even if they had not previously played them, and wrote their own songs, but this was no normal side project for Gosling. The point was to give fans something worth listening to for a long time to come.
Dead Man's Bones' new single is brilliant
So does the latest track, "Lost in the Night," hold up to their previous songs? Definitely.
The vocals are a combination of Nick Cave and Ian Curtis of Joy Division, haunting but well done. The track has a real beauty to it. About two minutes in, the song speeds up, propelled by the drums kicking in. At first, it seems a bit unfitting based on the first third of the track, but it soon makes sense.
The melody doesn't change all that much, but that's not as important as it could be. The initial melody is strong enough to carry the song. In fact, "Lost in the Night" is good enough to make fans want more. Is a new album coming? We can't be sure yet. Let's hope.
The black-and-white video for the track stars A Quiet Place's Noah Jupe and The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Rain Spencer, and is perfect for the lovelorn lyrics. The melancholy rips through the screen, and the acting is touching and terrific.
Ultimately, the excellent new song by Dead Man's Bones couldn't have had a better companion video, and that should get the worthy tune even more listens. The ironic part is that Ryan Gosling isn't featured in the video, and he doesn't need to be.
After all, the duo of Shields and Gosling isn't about making music built on celebrity. The songs are about quality, and "Lost in the Night" further proves that.
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