Many discovered Ryan Gosling’s musical prowess through his satirical “I’m Just Ken” from 2023’s Barbie and La La Land. What many don’t know is that Gosling is half of an indie rock duo called Dead Man’s Bones. Now, after nearly 20 years on the back burner, new music is on the horizon.
On October 23, Gosling’s partner Eva Mendes posted on Instagram in collaboration with Dead Man’s Bones’ social media. The caption read “He came through on his promise to me.”
The Instagram post features a man reciting a poetic warning of death and the dead rising on October 27. Very reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, and with release only days before Halloween, fans were not shy to show excitement.
A floating head appears in front of a hypnotic spiral saying, “Dead man’s bones must wait to rise from the house where shadows cry. All of this must change Oct. 27, when our ghosts must leave our world for this, to dance with us at twilight time, and bring your hand to lie in mine.” Gosling’s daughters yell the date a couple of times to highlight the excitement.
Uncovering Dead Man’s Bones
Gosling and producer, writer, and director Zach Shields formed Dead Man’s Bones in 2007. They first released their self-titled album in 2009 in collaboration with L.A.’s Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir.
Gosling and Shields, who touted themselves as instrumental newbies, played most of the instruments featured in the 2009 LP.
The duo met in 2005, when Shields dated Gosling’s sister Kayleen. The idea of a band first formed on a road trip to Las Vegas for Kayleen’s 30th birthday. Gosling told Rolling Stone, “We started putting on these performances for our friends in the [hotel] bathroom. We’d go in the shower, and we’d use the shower curtain as the stage curtain.”
They drew inspiration from Disney’s Haunted Mansion and “Langley Schools Music Project’s Innocence and Despair… where grade schoolers sang pop songs…”
Rolling Stone published thoughts on the album in 2009, calling their work “…spinning fireside ghost stories into mesmerizing “Monster Mash” sing-alongs…”
The duo’s music made few appearances in movies and TV series, including the 2013 horror cult favorite The Conjuring. Cat Power’s 2022 album Covers featured a cover of “Pa Pa Power,” originally performed by Dead Man’s Bones.
Ever since the album’s release, the band’s cult following has grown, even amid Gosling’s massive success in Hollywood. Amid Project Hail Mary, Star Wars: Starfighter premiering in 2027, and Marvel’s Ghost Rider, film and music fans are elated to see Dead Man’s Bones live in 2026.
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