What to Do When You Are Dead

What to Do When You Are Dead
A body of a man floating above a series of houses against a green-tinted skyline
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 22, 2005
RecordedAugust–October 2004
StudioWater Music and The Machine Shop, Hoboken, New Jersey
Genre
Length44:15
LabelEqual Vision
ProducerMachine
Armor for Sleep chronology
Dream to Make Believe
(2003)
What to Do When You Are Dead
(2005)
Smile for Them
(2007)
Singles from
What to Do When You Are Dead
  1. "Car Underwater"
    Released: May 3, 2005

What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep. Following the completion of two songs written from the perspective of being dead, vocalist/guitarist Ben Jorgensen created a whole story from this viewpoint. What to Do When You Are Dead is a concept album, with each song telling the story of the protagonist's suicide as well as his journey through the afterlife. Recording took place between August and October 2004 with producer Machine. A rough mix of "Car Underwater" was made available in November, followed by two US tours in February 2005. What to Do When You Are Dead was released on February 22 through independent label Equal Vision Records.

Following a couple of US tours in April and May 2005, "Car Underwater" was released as a radio single. The group performed on the Warped Tour, before touring across the US in September and November. Later in November, a music video was released for "The Truth About Heaven", followed by a UK tour in December. In early 2006, the group went on a three-month headlining US tour, before appearing on Warped Tour again. What to Do When You Are Dead received mixed-to-favourable reviews and went on to sell over 200,000 copies. It peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 on two other Billboard charts. To celebrate the album's 10th anniversary, the group played a series of shows in late 2015.