Ryan Gosling Revives Dead Man's Bones — New Music Out October 27 After 17 Years
Ryan Gosling is picking up the guitar again — or at least the microphone. The Barbie star and musician Zach Shields have announced new music from their long-dormant indie rock duo Dead Man's Bones, arriving October 27, just in time for Halloween.
The announcement
The duo shared a short, eerie teaser video on social media on Thursday night. In the clip, a haunting voice recites a ghostly poem about shadows and the night before a young girl's voice interrupts to announce the release date. The new music will be the first from Dead Man's Bones in 17 years, following their self-titled debut album in 2009.
Eva Mendes saw it coming
Gosling's partner, actor Eva Mendes, had been quietly teasing the comeback in the days before the announcement. She posted old horror footage set to the band's haunted rock tune "In the Room Where You Sleep" and wrote, "Trying to summon new music from DEAD MAN'S BONES." After the teaser dropped, she reposted it with the caption: "He came through on his promise to me."
A cult favourite returns
Dead Man's Bones released its self-titled debut in 2009, recorded with the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir backing them up. The album earned a devoted following for its eerie, theatrical sound. Rolling Stone memorably described the band as "Arcade Fire, Tom Waits and the cast of Sesame Street performing a Kurt Weill musical," and the sound was partly inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion ride. The duo also toured briefly around Halloween 2009 — and then, as their frontman became one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, they went quiet.
Music has always been part of the story
Music has been an integral part of some of Gosling's most recognisable screen performances. He played jazz pianist Sebastian opposite Emma Stone in Damien Chazelle's 2016 musical La La Land, performing "City of Stars" and "A Lovely Night" — a role that earned him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. He then returned to the musical spotlight in Greta Gerwig's 2023 blockbuster Barbie, where his performance of "I'm Just Ken" became one of the film's most talked-about moments, leading to a live performance of the song at the 2024 Academy Awards. His most recent picture, Project Hail Mary, is one of the year's biggest releases.
Same label, same spooky spirit
The teaser post was also shared by the label ANTI-, the same independent label that released the band's self-titled album in 2009 — a strong signal that whatever is coming will land on the same record that launched the project. Fans will find out what the revived duo has been working on when the music arrives on October 27.