Death Cab for Cutie are starting over — and it looks good on them. The Pacific Northwest indie institution has ended its 22-year partnership with Atlantic Records and signed to Anti-, the legendary indie label home to Tom Waits, Neko Case, Nick Cave, Kathleen Hanna, and a roster that reads like a who's who of artists who've never made a cynical decision in their lives.
In a statement, frontman Ben Gibbard said the band is 'thrilled to be joining the roster at Anti- which includes some of our favorite artists, old friends and in many cases, both.' That framing — favorite artists and old friends — tells you something. Anti- is the kind of label that treats its acts like humans. Atlantic, which signed Death Cab away from Barsuk in 2004, is the kind of label that treats its acts like assets.
The Atlantic run produced six albums, from 2005's Plans through 2022's Asphalt Meadows, and included real peaks: the Narrow Stairs period, the emotional devastation of Thank You for Today, the comeback energy of Kintsugi. But it also produced a certain corporate sheen that Death Cab arguably never fully shed. Anti- is where careers go to get interesting again.
The announcement comes alongside news of a summer tour that includes stops at major amphitheaters and sheds across North America, with Japanese Breakfast, Jay Som, and Nation of Language rotating through as support acts depending on the date. A show at LA's Greek Theatre on August 2-3 is a particular highlight, as is a Philadelphia date at Highmark Mann Center.
No new album has been announced yet — this appears to be a signing first, music later situation. But Death Cab has never been a band that phones it in. Whatever they're building at Anti- will be worth the wait.