Gregor Barnett goes dark on “The First Dead Body I Ever Saw”

When The Menzingers were unable to play shows in 2020 and 2021, co-songwriter and co-frontperson Gregor Barnett filled his downtime by writing a solo album. Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave explores his love of roots rock and Americana, as we heard in the lead single and title track, which has a markedly Tom Petty vibe.

The latest teaser of the album, released today, goes to a darker place, evident out the gate from its title: “The First Dead Body I Ever Saw.”

The song echoes the ominous moods of Townes Van Zandt and 16 Horsepower, combining bright twang with a thumping pace as Barnett sings of a child discovering the corpse of a family friend in their house: “collapsed against the wall, I couldn’t breathe / I was just a kid, barely 13 / I saw how it ends, life’s fatal flaw / You were the first dead body I ever saw.”

Listen below, and preorder Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave here. The album is out February 18th, and Barnett plays a solo show at Johnny Brenda’s on Saturday, February 26th; tickets and more information can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.