Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard: “I Love That I Do This For A Living”
Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard has spoken to NME about the band’s upcoming tenth album Asphalt Meadows. Gibbard suggested the writing and recording made them “feel like a new band” and emphasised how grateful he is for the band’s success.
Gibbard suggested that Death Cab now “feels like a new band” to him: “It feels like we’re just starting to tap the potential of this particular line-up.”
Talking about the single Foxglove Through The Clearcut, Gibbard said, “With Foxglove, I literally saw myself as the narrator standing next to somebody, but that person’s face was blurred out. I know this is very esoteric, but in my mind’s eye writing that song I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a person I’m writing about, and they’re all backlit or blurry, I can’t see who they are’.
The singer went on to talk about the challenges of staying creative, “The longer you do this, you’re going to hit a point where you’re starting to either repeat yourself or write yourself into a corner,” Gibbard said. “You have some songs that you’re very proud of, but you think, ‘Jeez, I don’t know what else I have to say!’
“These moments of creative transcendence become fewer and far between, but when they do happen, it’s an incredibly powerful and life-affirming moment. You think, ‘I love that I do this for a living. I love that. This song took 25 years to get to me. That’s fucking beautiful, you know’.”
Death Cab For Cutie UK and European tour dates
JUNE 2023
1 – Fabrique, Milan
2 – X-Tra, Zurich
5 – Den Grå Hal, Copenhagen
6 – Filadelfia, Stockholm
7 – Sentrum Scene, Oslo
9 – Columbiahalle, Berlin
10 – 13, Tilburg
11 – Paridiso, Amsterdam
12 – E-Werk, Cologne
14 – De Roma, Antwerp
15 – Atelier, Luxembourg
16 – Salle Pleyel, Paris
18 – Rock City, Nottingham
19 – Bord Gais Theatre, Dublin
21 – O2 Institute, Birmingham
22 – Usher Hall, Edinburgh
23 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
25 – Apollo, Manchester
27 – Dome, Brighton
29 – Royal Albert Hall, London