Death Cab For Cutie - Kintsugi

Yes, ‘Kintsugi’ still revels in the heartbreak that is Death Cab’s lyrical lifeblood, but backed by producer Rich Costey’s plush backdrop for the first time, these sentiments seem less brittle. ‘Good Help (Is So Hard To Find)’ takes that signature plucked guitar work of departing guitarist Chris Walla and pushes it towards the horizon, swelling it in stature. Where the group’s last two records have seen Death Cab’s experimentation (and, indeed, Walla’s production) delve into electronics with varying degrees of success as a means to evolve, this time around things return to the naturalistic feel of ‘Transatlanticism’ or ‘Plans’, but offer it up in such a way that Death Cab finally feel whole. Imbued with a soul and warmth like never before, there’s a newly found weight behind every crackle and thud, ‘El Dorado’ zipping along like a minecart in the gold rush. Jason McGerr’s flourish-filled drumming thunders forward, before it all drops away like the coastline into a gigantic, piano-led concluding couplet of ‘Ingenue’ and ‘Binary Sea’.

Finally free of their pinning as the indie kid’s go-to mixtape tearjerker, Death Cab have blossomed into a thoughtful, stadium-destined rock band for the ages. ‘Kintsugi’ sees their eighteen-year-in-the-making intentions fully realised, and - eight albums in – Death Cab For Cutie are born again; a little cracked, but all the more golden for it.

Tags: Album Reviews, Reviews, Atlantic, Death Cab for Cutie