“I prefer to be alone,
Socially awkward,
This I know.
I prefer to be alone.”
“I want to be alone,” Greta Garbo once famously declared, not as a lament but as a quiet rebellion, a refusal to let the world consume her. There’s a gravity in those words, a whisper of sanctuary against the ceaseless noise. To be alone is to reclaim a sacred solitude, to find the space where silence speaks louder than crowds and reflection is sharper than applause. It’s not isolation but a deliberate act of preservation—an escape from the performance of life into its raw essence. Garbo’s plea echoes timelessly, a reminder that solitude is not loneliness but a luminous strength. In tarot, The Hermit’s lantern glows like Garbo’s solitude—a quiet light guiding inward, away from the world’s incessant din. “I want to be alone” becomes a beacon of introspection, not exile.
Albuquerque’s Slow Danse with the Dead, formerly known as The Endless, captures the bittersweet allure of solitude with I Prefer To Be Alone, a hypnotic ode to introspection and self-containment. Across four-and-a-half minutes of icy synths and somber baritone vocals, the track evokes the restless replay of scenarios looping endlessly in the mind, immersing the listener in themes of cold isolation and social discomfort. The lyrics reflect a deliberate choice to embrace solitude, acknowledging the awkwardness of human connection while finding solace in being alone.
The arrangement is elegant in its restraint—synths dominate, punctuated by deliberate guitar motifs that linger like half-forgotten memories. The melody, evocative and unadorned, draws listeners inward, inviting reflection. Johnny calls it “the essence of the undead’s resurgence,” a poetic nod to rebirth in stillness. Slow Danse with the Dead crafts a sound both introspective and insistent, embodying the quiet power of stepping away to rediscover what lies beneath life’s relentless din.
The lyric video for I Prefer To Be Alone, directed by Lexx Grave, is a montage of still photos, VHS effects and eerie glitches. It fits the mood well.
Slow Danse with the Dead began in 2017 as Johnny M.’s plunge into brooding and reflection. Over time, his vision expanded, evolving into a trio with Batz on guitar and Malice on bass. Together, they forged a sound both relentless and resonant, one that pulses with a shared ache and ambition.
Dubbed “Miserygoth,” their music blends droning vocals with incisive lyrics, carried by haunting synthesizers, machine-driven beats, and evocative guitar lines. Johnny’s voice, layered with keys and guitar, forms the backbone of their compositions—a defiant embrace of the beautifully bleak.
In 2023, the band debuted live, joined by new members bassist Mal Toxisk and guitarist Aaron Hernandez, further broadening the project’s scope. Currently, Slow Danse with the Dead is immersed in creating new material, poised to deliver it to their growing audience.
In 2025, Wave Records will release a compilation featuring tracks up to 2023 on vinyl (12 songs) and CD with 8 bonus tracks, distributed globally by Audioglobe. The album compilation will be out next year on CD, vinyl and digitally.
Pre-order will be ready here via Wave Records on December 16th.
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