Death Cab for Cutie continues to evolve while staying true to their roots
Few things strike fear into a music fan’s heart like hearing one of their favorite musicians remark that their new album will be completely different from any they’ve released before.
Death Cab for Cutie is one of the few bands who have evolved their sound consistently, while still remaining close enough to their emo roots to not upset the cart too much. The indie rockers out of Bellingham, Wash., gained national attention upon the release of their sophomore disc, 2000’s “We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes.” It was the band’s first concept album, which told the story of a relationship falling apart in brooding detail, markedly a departure from earlier work that focused more on tight vocal harmonies and light orchestral instrument accompaniment.
Over the years, the band has continued to explore whatever musical avenues their muse may take them. Those paths have often led to grandiose compositions exploring life’s questions, and the fact that our fate often feels decided upon by the flip of someone else’s coin. Death Cab for Cutie remains one of the only bands working today who can be relied upon to sell massive amounts of their new releases, while steadfastly ignoring anyone’s recommendation that they could be bigger with more pop, and less malaise.
The News & Observer spoke with Nick Harmer, bass player for Death Cab since it first grew from a solo project into the indie juggernaut that it is today, before their upcoming show at downtown Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater. The April 13 show marks the official beginning of the summer concert season at the downtown venue, and we were able to touch upon the band’s beginnings, future, and all the changes that have occurred in between.
Q: The band has a couple of relatively new members in Dave Depper and Zac Rae, who both became official members of Death Cab in 2016. What has it been like for the remaining original members to not only get in the studio, but also get out on the road with a little bit of new blood in the band?
A: Our original guitar player, Chris Walla, announced that he was going to be leaving the band about halfway through us making “Kintsugi,” which was the album previous to the one that we’re out on the road promoting now [2018’s “Thank You for Today”]. After we finished that record, we parted ways, and we immediately knew that we needed people to play with, to be able to continue to move forward as a band, playing and touring, and keep making music in general.
I feel really fortunate that at that point we that we found Dave and Zac, that we were able to tour with them through the “Kintsugi” cycle and really form a strong friendship, and a good creative musical bond with them. So it definitely made sense that they were going to join the band at that point.
Making the latest record was really exciting, because they moved from being in a position where they were just performing parts that had been written to them, to now being able to really add their own stamp of ownership and creative input to the music that we’re making as a band. It’s really added a whole new level of connection. Like I said, ownership is a good word for for everybody in the band, and I think as a result it really just increases everybody’s energy and excitement level for making and sharing our music.
Q: You’ve been with the band since it expanded from a solo project for singer Ben Gibbard into a full band. At the time that the offer to join Death Cab presented itself, was there any hesitation on your part, where it may have felt like you were walking into a “hired gun” type situation?
A: No, not at all, because I had been a roommate and friends with Ben for years at that point. We had always played music, but in other bands, and we talked about playing music together all the time. We just always had a really good musical connection. When Ben finished his [demo tape], people started asking if he was going to put a band together and start performing these songs, and I think it was just sort of a natural moment [to play music together]. We had always wanted to find something to connect with and play, and there was just never a moment of hesitation on his end, and there was definitely not a moment of hesitation on my end.
I can still remember the very very first practice we ever had, where we got in a room and we started playing, and within a few songs we looked up at each other and recognized even in that moment that whatever was happening right then was better than anything that we’d individually been a part of previously. Not to say that our other previous bands weren’t good, but there’s just something that clicked in the universe at that moment, and I remember us all pulling our heads up to look at each other and realizing this moment was really special. I feel really thankful for that.
Q: How has being a new dad changed the way you approach the success of the band? I’m just wondering, now that you have a kid, do you find yourself checking how many units the band’s new album sells more often than you may have when you first joined?
A: You know, not so much. I think I’ve always just believed in the music that we make, and what we’re doing, and tried to always kind of keep a good perspective around. I’ll take each day as it comes. I’ll do this as long as it still feels like a healthy choice and a really fulfilling thing in my life, and and it continues to be.
I feel fortunate that I have to suddenly figure out how to balance being a dad with being in a band, and life is continuing to evolve alongside our career, which is really exciting. I think if anything, being a new dad has really reinvigorated me creatively and personally, because I realized that this is what I do; this is who I am. This is what my daughter will grow up and learn about her father, and I want her to be proud of of the career that I’ve had in music, and that has made me really think about continuing to put my head down and work hard.
I have a different kind of purpose, where before — I guess it might be a bit cliche — there was a lot of my own personal ego involved in playing music in the beginning. Having my daughter has brought a new kind of focus on creativity and output and working hard, and it’s important to me for my daughter to see her dad working hard and living his dreams. I think I’m fortunate that way, and I want her to grow up seeing how much work it takes to be creative. It takes a lot of sacrifices, and I want to make sure she knows that it’s not as glamorous as one might think.
Q: There’s always been a theory that all bands fall into one of two groups, where every member is best friends with one another, or they all hate each other. After 22 years together, where is Death Cab for Cutie?
A: I wouldn’t say that we’ve never really been at each other’s throats; the band’s always felt fairly constructive and pretty healthy. We’ve all kind of resigned ourselves to the realization that this is who we are and where we’re at. It has shifted from where it was in the beginning, just friends playing music, and then suddenly it got really big and intense. We went through a period where suddenly we were business people, that this is a business now, and we work together and we do this job together. Now, all of that has reached another level, where it’s more like we’re family and we get together and play in a band.
My friendship with Ben never seemed to feel contingent on being in a band with him, as we were friends before we were in a band together, and I expected us to be friends after that as well. It’s certainly true that our friendship has entered our relationship to the music and the band, but this all has always felt more like a family relationship, where it’s something we can’t ever really get out of.
Details
Who: Death Cab for Cutie with My Brightest Diamond
When: 7 p.m. April 13
Where: Red Hat Amphitheater, 500 South Salisbury St., Raleigh
Cost: $29.50 to $55
Info: RedHatAmphitheater.com or 919-996-8500
This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Death Cab for Cutie continues to evolve while staying true to their roots."