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Jul 07, 2022 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Bobbi Wernig

Tomorrow, New Orleans-based outfit The Deslondes are set to return with new album, Ways & Means. Arriving five years after their 2017 sophomore record, Hurry Home, the record sees the band once again pairing with their longtime collaborator Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes), along with contributions from Margo Price and multi-instrumentalist Billy Contreras. All the while, the record breathes new life into their songwriting, putting a psychedelic flair on the band’s rootsy rock and roll.

Ahead of the record’s full release, the band have shared one last taste of the album with their new track, “Good to Go,” premiering with Under the Radar.

With “Good to Go,” The Deslondes deliver a lonesome meditation on growing older and fighting through life’s trials. It is a tribute to being down and out yet continuing to keep going, balancing world-weary lyricism with a defiant ray of hope. Fittingly, the track feels built for drunken singalongs, with lead singer Riley Downing adding a soulful tinge to the band’s rootsy bar band lament, and a wailing sax solo bringing wild and untamed energy to the song’s climax.

As Downing explains, “‘Good to Go’ is about getting older and still being able to keep yourself optimistic as an artist, traveler, and a human being. Guess at this point we’re all in as far as doing this music stuff and need to motivate and root for each other to continue to do it.

I wrote this song after a night of playing cards and dice with a bunch of old friends in Missouri and making out alright just to wake up and discover I had an expensive car repair to take care of and just being able to laugh it off and calm down in my own way by singing about it. Kinda just the way it goes though…you’re up one min and down the next, but that’s life and that’s gambling. I guess you gotta pay to play and play to pay. Same as the band all getting older and coming back together and heading back out on the road. We’re still here and we’re still good to go.

The band all got together down in New Orleans again at the Tigerman’s Den where we had gotten together many times before to record and practice. We spent about a week there and all laid our songs out on the table. This one just naturally took shape as they all do when we get together. One idea leads into another and each member adds something a little different such as Cameron’s wailing saxophone solo.

Of the three videos Joshua Shoemaker shot in one night in New Orleans mine was the last. I had finally dried off from falling in the pool for Dan’s video and we didn’t burn the house down with all the candles in Sam’s video and everyone was just kinda hanging around having fun around the fire. The crew he had worked hard and diligently and stayed optimistic to get the best take we could. Josh showed me my marks and I was overly confident I would hit them then immediately went the wrong way. Haha. I think we finally wrapped it up at around 6am and all slept very good that night.”

Check out the song and video below. Ways & Means is out tomorrow, July 8th via New West Records. Pre-order the track here.