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Sep 05, 2018 Death Cab for Cutie By Christopher Roberts

Death Cab for Cutie released a new album, Thank You For Today, last month via Atlantic. Now they have stopped by Spotify to cover Frightened Rabbit‘s “My Backwards Walk,” a song from the Scottish band’s 2008 album The Midnight Organ Fight. Back in May, Scott Hutchison, Frightened Rabbit’s 36-year-old frontman, was found dead of apparent suicide after he was earlier reported missing by the band. Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard was friends with Hutchison. Listen to the cover below.

Gibbard had this to say about the cover in an Instagram post: “I wish I would have told Scott how much his songs meant to me. Or how The Midnight Organ Fight was pretty much all I listened to for months while going through an extremely dark patch in my life. Or what a wonderfully funny and engaging person I found him to be. If you do anything today to mourn Scott’s passing, please reach out to someone you love and tell them something you’ve been putting off saying. Life is too damn short and you might miss the opportunity to do so. xo Ben”

Death Cab for Cutie also recently stopped by SiriusXM to perform a cover of Richard Swift’s “Most of What I Know,” from his 2006 album Dressed Up For the Letdown. Swift passed away back in July and Gibbard was also friends with him.

The remaining remembers of Frightened Rabbit recently announced that they would be performing a homeless benefit concert, Sleep in the Park, on December 8 in Glasgow, but will be billed as “The Songs of Frightened Rabbit” and will be joined by various guest vocalists to fill the void left by Hutchison’s passing, including James Graham of The Twilight Sad and others to be announced.

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

Pick up our just-announced new print issue (Issue 64) to read our The End interview with Gibbard about endings and death.

Previously Death Cab for Cutie shared a video for the album’s first single, “Gold Rush,” performed the song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and also shared a lyric video for “Gold Rush” featuring frontman Ben Gibbard holding the lyrics on large cards, Bob Dylan-style. (“Gold Rush” was one of our Songs of the Week.) Then they shared another song from the album, “I Dreamt We Spoke Again,” via a lyric video that featured the lyrics on top of images of clouds (it was an honorable mention in our Songs of the Week list). Then they shared a third single from the album, “Autumn Love” (it was also an honorable mention in our Songs of the Week list). Then NPR streamed the whole album a week early. The band performed “Gold Rush” (and four other songs) on Jimmy Kimmel Live and also performed “Gold Rush” on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

The new album will be their first not to feature any contributions from founding guitarist/producer Chris Walla, who left the band after the recording of their last album, 2015’s Kintsugi (which Walla didn’t produce, but did play on). It’s also the first album where cofounders Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer, as well as longtime member Jason McGerr, were joined in the studio by newer members Dave Depper and Zac Rae, who have been touring members since 2015.

One dollar from each ticket to the band’s tour purchased through the band’s website will be donated to The Aurora Commons, which a press release says is “a Seattle based non-profit organization which offers a safe space for unhoused neighbors to rest, prepare a meal, connect to resources, and collectively create a healthy and vibrant community.”

Read our 2015 interview with Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard.

Death Cab for Cutie Tour Dates:

09-21 Las Vegas, NV - Life is Beautiful Music & Art Festival
09-24 Eugene, OR - Hult Center for the Performing Arts
09-25 Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
09-27 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre Berkeley
09-29 Phoenix, AZ - Van Buren
10-01 Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory
10-02 Kansas City, MO - Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
10-03 Madison, WI - The Sylvee
10-05 St. Paul, MN - Palace Theatre
10-07 Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
10-09 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
10-12 Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre
10-13 Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre
10-14 Boston, MA - Boch Wang Theatre
10-17 Washington, DC - Anthem
10-18 Charlottesville, VA - Sprint Pavilion
10-19 Atlanta, GA - Coca Cola Roxy
10-20 St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
10-22 Miami, FL - The Fillmore Miami Beach
10-23 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
11-15 São Paulo, Brazil - Popload Festival

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