Death Cab for Cutie History

Breaking the mainstream, Death Cab for Cutie paid its rock dues until The OC changed things forever.

Death Cab for Cutie: Starting Small
Death Cab for Cutie formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997 as a solo project for vocalist and guitarist, Ben Gibbard. Gibbard took the name, Death Cab for Cutie, from the ‘60s rock group The Bozo Dog Band. The band performed the song in the 1967 Beatles movie, Magical Mystery Tour. Gibbard released Death Cab’s first EP, You Can Play These Songs with Chords on the tiny imprint, Elsinor Records. Chords was originally released on audio cassette only and featured eight songs, five of which were re-recorded for Death Cab’s next full release. You Can Play These Songs with Chords featured Ben Gibbard playing the majority of instruments on the album. The album became so popular that Gibbard recruited people to be in his band.

Death Cab for Cutie: Movin’ on Up
In 1998, DCFC moved on to Barsuk records, home of indie rock success stories Nada Surf, Rilo Kiley and They Might be Giants. That same year Death Cab released its first LP, Something about Airplanes. Death Cab for Cutie’s lineup consisted of Ben Gibbard on vocals and guitar, Chris Walla, a music producer and former radio DJ in Ellensburg, Washington, also on guitar and piano; Nick Harmer on bass guitar and Nathan Good on drums. Airplanes included such sleepy rock songs like “Sleep Spent” and “Bend to Squares.” The albummade Death Cab a band to watch in the independent music scene.

Death Cab for Cutie: Paying dues
In 2000, Death Cab for Cutie released their next album, We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, which featured the songs “For What Reason” and “The Employment Pages.” During the recording of Facts, Death Cab drummer Nathan Good left. Gibbard and Walla replaced Good on percussion for all except two songs on the album. Facts received a 7.5 rating on the popular music criticism website, Pitchfork Media. New drummer Michael Schorr debuted on 2000’s Forbidden Love EP. Death Cab for Cutie’s album, The Photo Album, was released in 2001 and featured songs like “Why You'd Want to Live Here" and “A Movie Script Ending.” Death Cab for Cutie released The Stability EP in 2002, which contained songs previously released on the Japanese edition of The Photo Album.

Death Cab for Cutie: On the Rise
In 2003, Death Cab for Cutie released its breakthrough, fourth album Transatlanticism. The album was the first release featuring Jason McGerr on drums, who took over for Schorr after he exited the band in 2003. Transatlanticism proved to be a wildly popular release, even debuting at No. 97 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Itfeatured many popular singles including, “The New Year,” “The Sound of Settling” and “Title and Registration.” Transatlanticism was certified gold in the U.S. and many of its songs were featured in hit movies and television shows.

Death Cab for Cutie: Commercial Hit
The biggest boost came from the hit Fox series The OC, which featured a storyline where Death Cab for Cutie was the favorite band of character Seth Cohen (Adam Brody). DCFC allowed one of its songs, “A Lack of Color,” to be used on Music from the OC: Mix 2, opening up a whole new fan base for the band. After the popularity of Transatlanticism, DCFC were courted by several major labels. The band eventually signed with Atlantic records and released their fifth album, Plans, in 2005. Plans went platinum and earned DCFC a Grammy nod for Best Alternative Album. Plans featured the hits “Soul Meets Body” and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.”

Death Cab for Cutie: Side Projects
The members of Death Cab for Cutie are nothing if not hardworking. Among grueling tours, song writing and recording schedules, DCFC somehow find the time to work on and release solo projects. Ben Gibbard has fronted the extremely popular band The Postal Service with music producer Jimmy Tamborello. The duo released the album Give Up in 2003 featuring additional vocals by Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis. Give Up featured several hit singles including “Such Great Heights” and "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight." Guitarist Chris Walla released his own solo album, Field Manual, in early 2008.

Death Cab for Cutie: The Future
Despite various band member side projects, Death Cab for Cutie remains both Chris Walla and Ben Gibbard’s primary project. In 2008, Death Cab for Cutie released Narrow Stairs. Narrow Stairs is viewed as a departure from the band’s lighter melodies. It featured the single, “I Will Possess your Heart.” Narrow Stairs hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, one week after its initial release. Narrow Stairs remained in the top five for the first three weeks and sold more than 400,000 copies. This is a first in Death Cab for Cutie’s long history but surely not the last. Death Cab for Cutie is now touring its way across the country in support of Narrow Stairs.