Death Cab for Cutie has been tugging at heartstrings for 17 years.
The band’s newest and eighth studio album Kintsugi, now out through Atlantic, tugs those strings harder than ever.
The title refers to the Japanese style of art where broken ceramics are fixed using resin that has been mixed with precious metals.
It is symbolic for numerous reasons; one being this is the first album after the departure of founding member Chris Walla. Another is that this is the band’s first album since frontman Ben Gibbard’s split from Zooey Deschanel.These two elements make the album a classic break up record, guaranteed to suit you as you lay on your bed, staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what went wrong. Death Cab stays true to their roots, and remains brutally honest.
The album’s first single “Black Sun” is composed of lyrics that encapsulate true heartbreak, such as, “How could something so far, be so cruel.” Gibbard’s beautifully written lyrics hit us like waves, making us feel what he has deeply felt. Instead of shielding themselves from the past, Death Cab for Cutie is upfront, reminding us things can still be beautiful after being broken and then put back together.
Fans who religiously still blast the beloved classic albums Transatlanticism and Plans will not be disappointed. Not that the band’s last two albums, Narrow Stairs (2008) and Codes and Keys (2011) failed fans—each provides classic and heartwarming (and breaking) tracks such as “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “You are a Tourist.” But Kintsugi takes it to a different level.
Gibbard produces the sounds and deep lyrics we have grown to love. “You’ve Haunted Me All My Life” strikes a deep chord with listeners and “No Room in Frame” hints at Deschanel. We could almost guarantee the raw emotion the album would provide, and we were not let down.
Personally, this album was a huge relief to me. I have been a fan of Death Cab for Cutie for several years, and every time one of my favorite bands releases a new album I get nervous it won’t live up to previous work. But this album lived up to all of my expectations and more.
Feature Photo via Rolling Stone