Track Premiere: Dead Now – ‘Bird Leaf’

Former Torche guitarist/vocalist Andrew Elstner—who split with the band in 2016—has returned to action with a new sludge rock band called Dead Now. Their debut album, self-titled, brims with promise as the power trio roll through hefty riffs, buzzing noise and melodic vocals. There are obvious Torche similarities upon listening to “Bird Leaf”—streaming below—but Dead Now have a brighter, more upbeat sound than the Miami noisemakers.

Decibel had a quick chat with Elstner to get the skinny on Dead Now. Check it out below “Bird Leaf” and grab their album before it comes out on September 7.

Dead Now is a new band and this album is your first. How do you think it captures your sound?
We did all basic tracking live, so I think it captures us really well. In my opinion, it’s the only way to fly!

You are all in or have been in a number of other bands, like Torche and Riddle of Steel. Did this experience affect how you approached writing and recording for Dead Now?
For sure. Bobby and Derek (drums and bass respectively) have been playing together for years, in Day Old Man most recently. Their intuitive nature makes writing crazy fun. Like every band I’ve been in, there is no main songwriter; the songs get written as a band. My dudes make it super easy.

You’re going on tour for most of September with Red Fang, Big Business and Monolord. Do you have a plan to win over crowds since you’re pretty new and the others are pretty established?
[laughs] All we can do is give it our best. If that doesn’t work, then we break out the eyeliner and lipstick. Hell, maybe we’ll do that anyway.

What’s the writing process for Dead Now been like? Did everything come together quickly or has this project been in the works for a while?
We played our first show almost exactly a year ago from today. I wouldn’t say the songs came together exceptionally fast, but we also stayed as busy as we could. New songs already in the works for the second record. Super stoked!