Ryan Gosling is returning to his musical roots, with his band Dead Man’s Bones releasing its first new song in 17 years.
The actor formed the unusual musical duo with writer and producer Zach Shields in 2005, and the pair released their self-titled debut album in 2009.
Now, they are back with a new single called Lost in the Night, which arrived on October 26 alongside a black-and-white music video starring The Summer I Turned Pretty actress Rain Spencer and Hamnet star Noah Jupe.
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And yes, Ryan is very much part of the band. Dead Man’s Bones is a genuine collaboration between the two men, with Gosling contributing vocals and instruments.
Their original album was a rather unusual mix of gothic folk, indie rock, doo-wop and spooky, old-fashioned horror sounds. It also featured backing vocals from the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir, founded by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.
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Gosling and Shields even challenged themselves to play instruments they had little experience with during the recording process.
Gosling learned to play cello and piano, while the pair experimented with a range of sounds.
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For their comeback single, they headed to a farm outside Los Angeles with two guitars, two drum machines and two synthesizers, recording the track in just one day.
There is also a rather romantic story behind the new release.
Gosling's partner Eva Mendes has been sharing her excitement about the band's return on Instagram, describing Lost in the Night as her “new favourite song”.
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She also revealed that Gosling had actually sung the song to her back in 2012, around the time they were filming The Place Beyond the Pines together.
“Crazy you should pick that time period for this song….he sang it to me during that time. I asked him to please record it,” she wrote.
She added: “It’s been haunting me ever since…”
The pair have promised that there is “more coming soon”, although no new album or live performances have been confirmed just yet.
