Death Cab For Cutie Release New Single

Ben Gibbard et al. get ready to possess hearts.

Death Cab For Cutie have offered fans a taster of their forthcoming album ‘Narrow Stairs’. New single ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ clocks in at a mighty eight and a half minutes, half of which is comprised of reverb-heavy, instrumental meandering.

At times resembling a chirpier Spiritualised, the song features little in the way of a chorus, and is essentially based around one rolling riff. “I hope this album is a bit of a surprise for those out there that think they have us all figured out,” says bassist Nick Harmer, and while ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ is surprising, it’s not as if the band have embraced acid skiffle or crafted a jazz funk odyssey. Rather than being a radical departure from their previous album, the excellent ‘Plans’, the single is a refinement of Death Cab’s trademark sound: rich, clear production, honeysweet vocals, chiming guitars and wistful, moving lyrics.

Guitarist Chris Walla has promised that ‘Narrow Stairs’ will be “bloody and loose”, but from listening to ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ it seems that Death Cab are moving away from the indie rock clichés in which many of their contemporaries are trapped. You can decide for yourself when the album is released on May 13.

‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ is available for download now at iTunes, or you can stream it at www.deathcabforcutie.com

The tracklisting for ‘Narrow Stairs’ is as follows:

1. Bixby Canyon Bridge
2. I Will Possess Your Heart
3. No Sunlight
4. Cath…
5. Talking Bird
6. You Can Do Better Than Me
7. Grapevine Fires
8. Your New Twin Sized Bed
9. Long Division
10. Pity And Fear
11. The Ice Is Getting Thinner

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