“Losing Love” is the debut single from Yung Dead One, also known as the ghost of William Robbins. While Robbins is recognizable as a member of the now-defunct Social Smokers Club, his cause of death remains undisclosed. Fortunately, he’s still taking time to record and release music despite his current status as mortally challenged.
In August of 2020, Social Smokers Club had officially announced the dissolution of the band, along with the news that each of the members would be embarking on their own projects. Robbins seems that he was already well underway to launching Yung Dead Ones. Like many musicians unable to tour or perform, Robbins took to songwriting.
“Losing Love” is very clearly a product of the early days of Nova Scotia’s first lockdown of 2020. It’s a hard veer away from the post-grunge/alternative sound of Social Smokers Club and well into the territory of pop, wrought with a flurry of beats and lyrics that might have been pulled from any mid-2000s emo champ.
“I felt pretty alone,” says Robbins.”Had a lot of time to think about my life and the mistakes I’ve made and people I’ve lost along the way. Ya know, existentialism and all. Also a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with my future in music.”
The downtime also meant that Robbins had time to reflect on which music inspired him. Drawing from a wide variety that spans from The 1975 to Kid Cudi and The Tragically Hip to Bon Iver, he saw it as an opportunity to go wildly in a new direction.
“I just love music that makes you want to dance or jump around but has a somber meaning behind the lyrics,” says Robbins. “So, that’s what I set out to do.”
With a few demos in hand, include “Losing Love,” Robbins reached out to Halifax-based producer and songwriter Jason Mingo to bring the songs to the next level.
For all his exuberance, however, Robbins is taking his secrets to the grave and keeping mum on the deeper meaning behind “Losing Love.”
“I don’t want to give too much meaning behind the song because I think people will always interrupt a song uniquely to themselves either way and I think that’s the greatest part about music and art.,” says Robbins. “But, I will say I put my entire heart and soul into this song and the others I have on the way and I think it can be heard through the recording and the lyrics.
“I wrote them at a time where I felt like I had nothing left to live for except music. I still feel that way sometimes but my life is filled with a lot more sunsets and love nowadays.
“I’m maintaining love now instead of losing it.”
While “Losing Love” is the debut release for Yung Dead One, it sounds like he’s prepared to follow in the footsteps of Prince and Tupac.