Their 2014 album Good Company was released by German label Devil Duck Records, and led to significant overseas touring for the next two years.

The album's single "In Hell, I'll Be in Good Company", and its accompanying video on YouTube, are credited with contributing to the breakthrough release for the band.

The Dead South have released four studio albums: Good Company (2014), Illusion and Doubt (2016), Sugar & Joy (Six Shooter Records, 2019), Chains & Stakes (2024), three EPs – The Ocean Went Mad and We Were to Blame (2013), and Easy Listening for Jerks Pt.

In his review of the EP, Jamie Funk of Divide and Conquer Music was initially unsure if he could handle banjo picking in every song, but ended up enjoying it.

Additionally, The Dead South received in 2015 the "Road Gold" certification from Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) for over 25,000 ticket sales in a 12 month period.

[5] In presenting the award, CIMA President Stuart Johnston noted that the certification was given to recognize the talent and hard-working nature of the touring band.

Rachel Freitas of MusicExistence notes that the album's second track, Achilles, "has the signature banjo sound that The Dead South are known for, but the instrumentation is a bit lighter.

The lyrical content of Good Company song "Banjo Odyssey" was questioned from the time of its release, though would become more so following later allegations against Danny Kenyon.

[9] In an August 2014 Facebook post, the band said: "The song is a satirical, tongue-in-cheek reference to the bluegrass genre and tells a story about two cousins who engage in a relationship.

[10] Particular attention was brought to the African-American origins of its sound, with Mark Johnson of Americana UK summarised the album by writing "Bluegrass?

"Miss Mary" in particular, serves as an atypical and surprising example of folk music as interpreted by The Dead South and "Hard Day" showcases Hilts' grit and power as vocalist.

[13] By March 2019, Good Company and Illusion and Doubt had sold 90,000 physical copies, and The Dead South's songs had a total of 55 million streams on Spotify.

[16] Sugar & Joy is The Dead South's most recent album of new material to date, which expanded upon the imagery and unconventional composition in Illusion and Doubt.

[6] Freitas of MusicExistence notes the "evil twin" comparison, but considers that, with Good Company, the band stands on its own merit in the folk world.

"[32] Reviewer James Cooke suggests on MusicCrowns.org that the band's "gritty vocals, aggressive guitar strumming, mandolin chops, banjo licks, and a steady kick drum to fuse it all together" deliver a unique sound that doesn't exactly fit the traditional definition of bluegrass.