Your Friend, Death Bring New Orleans Jazz to Alt-Rock on “As Good As Dead”
Your Friend, Death are showing a different side of their sound with their latest single, “As Good As Dead,” a New Orleans-inspired jazz-rock track that pairs the wreckage of a doomed romance with the atmosphere and musical spirit of the French Quarter.
Previously known as The Boneheads, Your Friend, Death represents a new chapter for the band as they continue building on their reputation within the Canadian music scene. Their first releases under the new name, “Heart Don’t Beat No Fear” and “Oh Come On!,” introduced the new direction, while “As Good As Dead” pushes their songwriting even further by bringing a New Orleans jazz influence into their alt-rock foundation.
For band member Ryan Boyer, the inspiration came from a long-standing fascination with New Orleans and its musical history.
“I’ve been in love with New Orleans for a while; the music, the history, and the culture,” says Boyer. “It’s always been on my bucket list to write a New Orleans jazz-inspired song.”
With nine musicians contributing to the recording, “As Good As Dead” is the band’s most ambitious release to date. Boyer composed the majority of the instrumentation while giving the musicians freedom to make their individual solos their own. The track features Selena Savage on trombone, Lorianne Dueck on piano, Shane Guse on fiddle, Christian Antonacci on trumpet, and Kieran James Menard on upright bass, helping bring its New Orleans-inspired sound to life.
Behind all that instrumentation is a decidedly melancholy love story centred around two people who know their relationship is destructive but remain unable to walk away.
“I wrote this song with the idea about a couple that are aware that they are no good for one another but can’t seem to quit each other,” Boyer explains.
The result is a jazz-rock odyssey that combines the emotional fallout of a dying romance with the feeling of wandering through the French Quarter.
“As Good As Dead” was written by Jacob Gerovac and Ryan Boyer, with performances from Gerovac, Boyer, Owen Pantin, Selena Savage, Lorianne Dueck, Shane Guse, Christian Antonacci, Kieran James Menard, and Jon Savard. Savard also handled production, recording, and mixing, while Brian Lucey mastered the track.