Death Cab began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard, now the band's vocalist and guitarist. Gibbard took the band name from the satirical song Death Cab for Cutie, performed by The Bonzo Dog Band in The Beatles' 1967 experimental film Magical Mystery Tour. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette titled You Can Play These Songs with Chords; the release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the band into a complete project. He recruited Chris Walla (who had also worked on the cassette) as an electric guitarist, Nick Harmer as bass guitarist, and Nathan Good to play drums.
The four released the LP Something About Airplanes on August 18th 1998. The album was favorably reviewed in the independent music scene, and in 2000 the band released We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes. Nathan Good left the band at some point during this album's production. His playing on “The Employment Pages” and “Company Calls Epilogue” were kept, but Gibbard played drums on all other songs.
Michael Schorr would first appear on The Forbidden Love E.P., released on October 24, 2000. In 2001, another LP was released, entitled The Photo Album. Limited editions of this album contained three bonus tracks, which were later released separately as The Stability EP.
In 2003, there was another change of drummer, with Jason McGerr of Eureka Farm replacing Schorr. McGerr would play drums on the next release, Transatlanticism.
Transatlanticism was released in October of 2003. It received critical praise and also became the band's top-selling album, with 225,000 copies sold during its first year out.
In spring of 2004, the band recorded a live E.P. titled The John Byrd E.P., named for their sound engineer. The E.P. was released on Barsuk Records in March 2004.
In November of 2004, Death Cab for Cutie signed a “long-term worldwide deal” with Atlantic Records, leaving their long-time label Barsuk Records. Gibbard stated on the official website www.deathcabforcutie.com that nothing would change except that “Next to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums.” This was a marked change from Gibbard's earlier views on major-label relations, which he said “are set up to fuck you and take all your money.”. After signing to Atlantic, the band was still nervous about corporate economics, and encouraged fans to download its songs from the Internet.
The first and second singles off the band's Atlantic Record release Plans were “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth”, respectively. The full album was released in August of 2005. Plans was somewhat well-acclaimed by critics and fans, and received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of 2005. It achieved Gold Status in 2006 after charting on Billboard for 47 consecutive weeks.
The band released a touring DVD titled Drive Well, Sleep Carefully in 2005. Known for their contributions to animal rights, the band is supporting the activist group PETA in giving away copies of the DVD to promote animal rights.
In early 2006, the band announced the upcoming release of Directions, eleven short films inspired by songs from the Plans album, each directed by a different person. The videos were posted one at a time at the band's website and the DVD went on sale April 11, 2006.
On May 12, 2008 their album, Narrow Stairs, was released and was well received by both critics and fans. It was their first album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. The album contains the singles "I Will Possess Your Heart", "Cath..." and "Grapevine Fires".
The band's latest released The Open Door EP, which was released on March 31, 2009. Their main styles consist of slow progressive rock with dark lyrics.
The band's seventh album, Codes and Keys, was released on May 31, 2011. The album's first single was "You Are A Tourist".
On October 11, 2013, the band reportedly began working on their eighth studio album. This was then confirmed by the group's official Instagram profile in which an image was uploaded with the caption "DCFC LP8 begins". The new album will be produced by Rich Costey and is expected to be released in early 2015. In an interview with Stereogum, Gibbard said of the new album, "I do think from start to finish it's a much better record than Codes And Keys. If that record turned anybody off, I feel pretty strongly that this one could win them back. There are threads in this one that connect back to our earliest stuff that people love." On October 29, 2013, the band released a remastered tenth-anniversary version of their 2003 album Transatlanticism. The new album included a vinyl LP and MP3 download, with demos for all the songs from the album.
As part of the 2014 Record Store Day, the band released its first live album, a vinyl-only double LP recorded during various 2012 tour dates with Magik*Magik Orchestra. Included within the packaging was a code for a digital download of the recording.
On August 13, 2014, after 17 years as a member of Death Cab for Cutie, guitarist and songwriter Chris Walla decided to part ways with the band, with his last performance occurring on September 13, 2014 at the Rifflandia Music Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. Walla states that he plans to "...continue making music, producing records, and erring on the side of benevolence and beauty whenever possible." When asked in an interview about Walla's involvement in the eighth album, McGerr confirmed that Walla "played on everything and has been involved all the way through, even in the mixing. Even though he's played his last show with us, he's still been involved in everything involving this record."
Summer Sin
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The longest shadows ever cast
The water's warm and children swim
And we frolicked about in our summer skin
I don't recall a single care
Just greenery and humid air
Then labor day came and went
On the night you left I came over
And we peel the freckles from our shoulders
Our brand new coats so flushed in pink
And I knew your heart I couldn't win
'Cause the seasons change was a conduit
And we'd left our love in our summer skin
The opening lines of the song "Summer Skin" by Death Cab for Cutie, set a warm, nostalgic tone reflecting the innocence and joy of summertime. The imagery evokes carefree days of childhood, with squeaky swings and tall grass, clear blue skies, warm water and the joy of playing around outside without the weight of responsibility resting on your shoulders. The reference to the cast of the longest shadows signifies the passing of time and the importance of cherishing the moment.
However, as the song progresses, we realize that even the happiest of moments will come to an end, and as Labor Day comes and goes, it marks the end of summer and the carefree life. The shedding of summer skin signifies the end of one phase of life and the start of another.
The second half of the song alludes to a relationship between two people, and although the Seasons change, their love was lost, and they couldn't hold on. The reference to the "conduit" of the changing Seasons suggests that their love was fleeting, like summer, and just as they change, so too did their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Squeaky swings and tall grass
The singer describes a park setting, with the sound of swings and tall vegetation in the area.
The longest shadows ever cast
The shadows around them are very long, suggesting that it may be late in the day or early evening.
The water's warm and children swim
The water is at a comfortable temperature for swimming, and children are taking advantage of it.
And we frolicked about in our summer skin
The artist and likely others were enjoying themselves in the warm weather fun, wearing lighter clothes more specific to the summertime.
I don't recall a single care
The artist was in a carefree state, suggesting that they did not have any significant responsibilities or worries at the time.
Just greenery and humid air
Although the environment was very vibrant and green, it was also very hot and moist.
Then labor day came and went
The holiday of Labor Day passed, which traditionally marks the end of the summer months in the US and often coincides with the start of a new school year.
And we shed what was left of our summer skin
As the season changed and summer ended, the artist and/or others exchanged their warm weather apparel for something more suitable for cooler climate.
On the night you left I came over
Someone close to the artist has recently left or moved away, and the artist came to visit them.
And we peel the freckles from our shoulders
The artist and the other person were touching and/or physically close, and during that time the other person could see and touch the artist's freckles.
Our brand new coats so flushed in pink
The singer has just gotten new outerwear, possibly replacing the lighter summer clothes they were wearing earlier.
And I knew your heart I couldn't win
The artist is speaking directly to the person who left and recognized that they cannot win in their relationship, probably referring to a romantic relationship.
'Cause the seasons change was a conduit
The changing of the seasons marked a significant change in the singer and the other person's relationship, likely being a metaphor for the end of their romance.
And we'd left our love in our summer skin
The singer and the other person's relationship had ended with the summer and warm weather, with the phrase 'summer skin' being a metaphor for their summer romance.
Contributed by Aubrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks