After Northwest indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie released 2005's Plans, their first major label release, the band exploded onto every iPod, network television show and Urban Outfitters in the continental U.S. Death Cab were everywhere, and the hipster poster boys began to feel as tired of the pace as the public were of them. “At a certain point, you get as sick of yourself as you think people are of you,” says frontman Ben Gibbard. After a restorative break, a new studio and side projects worked on, the band reconvened, rejuvenated and with some of their most inventive tunes yet. Narrow Stairs delivers the heartfelt sentiment the band is known for, with some innovative songwriting departures. A four-minute instrumental jam opens first single "I Will Possess Your Heart," written from the perspective of a stalker, while "Cath" features a deep character sketch previously unseen in the band's work. The group sat down to discuss their latest album.
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[ Autumn deWilde ]
