First Dance After Coma
I wrote “First Dance After Coma” not long after returning to the U.S. from Nepal.
I’d been away for eight months, and coming back felt strange and quiet. The contrast was jarring. In that stillness, my body and mind seemed to shut down a little. Just enough to feel distant from myself. I was exhausted. Physically and emotionally burnt out.
Andrew was going through his own version of that reckoning. When we started writing together, we didn’t set out to make a “statement” song. We were just trying to name what it felt like to exist in this moment—when the world feels increasingly hostile, uncaring, and numb to anyone else’s struggle.
We wrote from different places, but kept arriving at the same question:
How do you keep moving in a world that seems determined to look away?
Over time, the song revealed itself. It wasn’t offering answers. It wasn’t pretending things were fine. Instead, it became about staying awake and resisting the urge to shut down. About choosing presence—again and again—even when it’s uncomfortable.
Maybe the best gift we can give the world right now isn’t certainty or solutions. Maybe it’s attention. To stay present. To bear witness.
“First Dance After Coma” isn’t a cure for any of this. But it helped us move. And sometimes movement is enough to begin.
Making It Together
This song is special for another reason—it carries a lot of hands and a lot of trust.
While we were working on it, we were also recording our friends’ band Forever Miles at Rief Productions. AJ Martinez, the band’s guitarist, heard the track and connected with it immediately. We asked if he’d be open to adding a solo, and what he delivered lifted the song into a new emotional register. We’re so grateful he’s part of it.
The mix was handled by Chris Cabaniss, who brought clarity and depth. It was mastered by Alberto De Icaza, whose touch gave the song its final polish. Each person elevated the track in ways we couldn’t have done alone.
The Video
The music video was created in collaboration with the Creative Makura team, and we could not be happier with how it turned out.
They approached the song through themes of surveillance, big brother, acceptance, and surrender. Their interpretation gave the track a visual language that feels unsettling and honest, mirroring the tension between control and awakening that runs through the song.
The choreography, created and performed by Apeksha and Prasanni, took the song to an entirely different level. Movement became its own form of witnessing. Watching the body respond, resist, and ultimately surrender felt intentional and was beautifully captured.
We gave the Creative Makura team very little direction and chose to trust them fully. That trust was rewarded. The video feels expansive, intentional, and deeply aligned with the emotional core of the track.
We’re incredibly grateful to the entire cast and crew for their care, dedication, and vision.
Watch here: YouTube
“First Dance After Coma” is out now on all streaming platforms.
Listen here: Bandcamp • Spotify • YouTube
Listen when you’re ready.
Move when you can.
And don’t close your eyes.
Credits
Released: January 16, 2026
Written, Performed & Produced by: Junkerri & Andrew Rief
Guitars, Vocals, Percussion: Andrew Rief
Bass, Vocals, Synth: Junkerri
Guitar Solo: AJ Martinez
Mixed by: Chris Cabaniss
Mastered by: Alberto De Icaza
Recorded at: Rief Productions, Austin, TX