Ryan Gosling’s band Dead Man’s Bones is officially back with their first new song in 17 years, “Lost in the Night.”
The track begins with an eerie, atmospheric guitar clang, but Gosling and his bandmate Zach Shields quickly pick up the pace, finding a sweet spot between unvarnished post-punk production and arena-sized emotions. “Lost in the Night” also arrives with a music video, starring Noah Jupe and Rain Spencer, following the couple as they venture out of a cemetery and wander around a city at night.
“Lost in the Night” was produced by Dead Man’s Bones’ longtime collaborator, Tim Anderson, who also helmed the group’s 2009 self-titled debut. Gosling and Shields had spent some time bouncing between studios in Los Angeles, unsuccessfully trying to find the sound they wanted. They finally found it in a more lo-fi setting: a barn outside the city, where they set up with two guitars, two drum machines, and a pair of synths.
Dead Man’s Bones began teasing their return last week, with Gosling’s wife, Eva Mendes, sharing a few spooky season-style posts, in which she joked about trying to “summon new music” from the long-dormant group. A subsequent post, shared alongside Dead Man’s Bones, assured fans that new music would arrive on Oct. 27.
While “Lost in the Night” is the first new song Dead Man’s Bones have released since 2009, the group has yet to share any information about a new record. That said, an Instagram post announcing the new single did promise, “More coming soon.”
Dead Man’s Bones earned positive reviews and buzz for their first and only album — a collaboration with the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir — when it came out, but quickly disappeared. In the nearly two decades since, Gosling has, of course, been busy becoming one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, while Shields has worked extensively as a writer and producer (including the upcoming Weapons prequel, Gladys).