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Jul 30, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie have announced a new EP, The Blue EP, and shared its first single, “Kids in ‘99.” The Blue EP is due out September 6 via Atlantic. Check out “Kids in ‘99” below, followed by the EP’s tracklist and cover art.

In 1999 in Death Cab for Cutie’s hometown of Bellingham, Washington, three people (two 10 year olds and one 18-year-old) were killed in the Bellingham Olympic Pipeline explosion, when a gasoline pipeline ruptured. “Kids in ‘99” was written in tribute to those who lost their lives that day just over 20 years ago.

Frontman Ben Gibbard had this to say about the song in a press release: “The Olympic Pipeline explosion in 1999 was a tragedy that really affected me while we were living in Bellingham. After all these years I felt it was worthy of its own folk song.”

Death Cab for Cutie’s last album, Thank You For Today, came out last year via Atlantic. Two of the EP’s songs, “To the Ground” and “Before the Bombs,” were recorded during the sessions for that album and were produced by Rich Costey. Peter Katis produced the EP’s “Kids in ‘99” and “Blue Bloods,” and the band produced the remaining track, “Man in Blue.”

Chance The Rapper finally released his debut album, The Big Day, last Friday. The album’s “Do You Remember” features guest vocals from Ben Gibbard and was co-written by Gibbard and a bunch of other people, including Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon. The song is a wistful look back at the freedom of childhood and the joy of summer and was one of our Songs of the Week.

Read our 2018 interview with Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard on Thank You For Today.

Also read our 2018 The End interview with Gibbard about endings and death.

The Blue EP Tracklist:

1. To the Ground
2. Kids in ‘99
3. Man in Blue
4. Before the Bombs
5. Blue Bloods

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