{"id":600,"date":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/06\/08\/how-death-cab-for-cuties-first-album-in-4-years-helped-ben-gibbard-process-grief-and-find-acceptance-exclusive\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","slug":"how-death-cab-for-cuties-first-album-in-4-years-helped-ben-gibbard-process-grief-and-find-acceptance-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/06\/08\/how-death-cab-for-cuties-first-album-in-4-years-helped-ben-gibbard-process-grief-and-find-acceptance-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"How Death Cab for Cutie\u2019s First Album in 4 Years\u201c \u201dHelped Ben Gibbard Process Grief and Find Acceptance (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;I Built You a Tower,&#8217; out now,&#8217; is the band&#8217;s 11th studio LP<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/rHivl9EUgk561hKjqubZBru-XiI=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/death-cab-for-cutie-060526-3-0972dcd109cf428f9b4789e0a48f6001.jpg\" alt=\"Death Cab for CutieCredit: Ryan Russell\" title=\"Death Cab for Cutie\" \/><figcaption><i>Death Cab for Cutie<br \/>Credit: Ryan Russell<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Death Cab for Cutie&#8217;s Ben Gibbard opens up about the grief and loss that inspired the band&#8217;s new album <em>I Built You a Tower<\/em><\/li>\n<li>\u201cThe hope is that I&#8217;m writing from a position of elevated emotional intelligence and experience both as a human being and as a songwriter,\u201d the frontman tells PEOPLE<\/li>\n<li><em>I Built You a Tower<\/em> is out now<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After nearly 30 years and 10 albums, <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.deathcabforcutie.com\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"nofollow\">Death Cab for Cutie<\/a> found itself at a crossroads. The band had been signed to Atlantic Records since 2004 and had been poised to make one more under longtime chairman and chief operating officer Julie Greenwald, who had been there throughout their tenure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were like, \u2018Well, sign for one more record as long as Julie&#8217;s there,\u201d Gibbard, 49, recalls, lounging with guitarist and keyboardist Dave Depper on a rust-colored chaise in the lobby of the Bowery Hotel. Within a week, Greenwald was out, and the band saw a \u201cSuccession\u201d-like scenario taking place as <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/who-is-elliot-grainge-sofia-richie\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">Elliot Grainge<\/a> took over the label. \u201cI don&#8217;t care if it sounds mean. I took one look at this f\u2014ing guy, and I was like, &#8220;<em>This<\/em> isn&#8217;t the guy,&#8217;\u201d he recalled. But luck was on their side: Greenwald saved the day and helped the band exit their record deal.<\/p>\n<p>While being on a major label was largely a fruitful experience for them, Death Cab recognized that times had changed. \u201cMajor labels are not where they were in 2004, and there&#8217;s no point in signing a major label,\u201d said Gibbard. So they were thrilled when indie label Anti- came into the picture.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/K356QqOvVFBPcoqB7fDIuIVYM38=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/death-cab-for-cutie-060526-2-1702ac12e26442da8def3ee47fea8081.jpg\" alt=\"Death Cab for CutieCredit: Shervin Lainez\" title=\"Death Cab for Cutie\" \/><figcaption><i>Death Cab for Cutie<br \/>Credit: Shervin Lainez<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Their first album in two decades, <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/deathcabforcutie.ffm.to\/ibyat\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\"><em>I Built You a Tower<\/em><\/a>, in some ways brought them back to their beginnings as independent artists. Yet the 11-track album showcases the craftsmanship that stems from decades of collaboration, lineup changes and experimentation.<\/p>\n<p>The title of the album is somewhat of a red herring. While it inherently evokes the image of a romantic gesture, it was instead inspired by Gibbard ruminating on how we compartmentalize moments in our lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI started to have this vision of my life as a skyline and that all these buildings on the skyline exist in different varying levels of size in relation to the significance of those moments in my life, and the memories of that time where those people exist in those buildings,\u201d he recalls. \u201cYou can go and interface with them when you want [but] you have to enter that space to do it because if those edifices didn&#8217;t exist, you would just be overwhelmed with memories and the past and joy and pain and everything. It would just feel like this cascade of emotional triggers all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The making of <em>I Built You a Tower<\/em> began in early 2023, but most of the songs that ended up on the record were written the following two years. However, during that time, Gibbard found he was spending a lot of time with his \u201c26-year-old self\u201d doing anniversary tours for <em>Transatlanticism<\/em> and The Postal Service&#8217;s <em>Give Up<\/em> \u2014 and, more recently, <em>Plans<\/em>. \u201cIt&#8217;s this time machine like the phone booth in <em>Bill &amp; Ted&#8217;s Excellent Adventure<\/em>,\u201d Gibbard laughs. \u201cI&#8217;m just zipping around different times in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Death Cab for Cutie, <em>Transatlanticism<\/em> was a \u201cwatershed record.\u201d \u201cIt was the first [album] that a lot of people heard from us,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWhen <em>Plans<\/em> came out, I just remember so much vitriol for that record from a lot of people who loved <em>Transatlanticism<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a music fan, Gibbard genuinely gets it \u2014 he recalls how betrayed he felt by Jawbreaker releasing <em>Dear You<\/em> after his favorite record, <em>24 Hour Revenge Therapy<\/em>. \u201cI just had this experience of feeling betrayed. Newsflash, 10 years later, I&#8217;m like, &#8220;<em>Dear You<\/em> is the greatest record,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n<p>But Gibbard appreciates how fans have reassessed <em>Plans<\/em> similarly years later. \u201cI just think it&#8217;s really funny how time works, how time softens the hot takes of the moment. And some records, later they become classics, and other records that people love,\u201d he smiles.<\/p>\n<p>Existing in Death Cab&#8217;s past made him return to the band before it became more \u201cdigital,\u201d particularly the band&#8217;s first three records, which used to start with Gibbard&#8217;s drum parts. For <em>I Built You a Tower<\/em>, there was comfort for Gibbard in starting with those drum riffs but elevating the sound in a way that reflects years of growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hope is that I&#8217;m writing from a position of elevated emotional intelligence and experience both as a human being and as a songwriter,\u201d he says. \u201cSo even if I wanted to recreate those old songs, I wouldn&#8217;t be able to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And there is an emotional heft to <em>I Built You a Tower<\/em>, which moves through grief, loss, heartbreak, healing and acceptance. During the making of the record, Gibbard was going through a massive personal shift. He and his wife, Rachel Demy, whom he married in 2016, separated and divorced between 2023 and 2025. \u201cThis is a reflection of a time in my life that is now three years in my rearview,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you go through these painful moments, you&#8217;re going to be dealing with it in some form or fashion for the rest of your life because that&#8217;s just how pain works.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As his reality shifted and he began writing for the album, Gibbard found inspiration and catharsis in Italian new wave realism, specifically the Michelangelo Antonioni film <em>La Notte<\/em>, which chronicles the end of an arc of a marriage. \u201cThe conclusion is just so fucking devastating. And the way it presents itself, it&#8217;s just like Antonioni just throws up one of those Italian fin at the end, like F-I-N, the movie&#8217;s done, and you&#8217;re like, \u2018F&#8212;ing hell,&#8217;\u201d he exclaims. Over the past three years, he&#8217;s seen it 10 times. \u201cI kept coming back to it and wanting to see it again,\u201d he says. \u201cIt&#8217;s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>I Built You a Tower <\/em>really tackles an array of grief and pain \u2014 and how we face it after we&#8217;re challenged.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over rowdy guitars, Gibbard uses a story of a toddler punching flowers for a metaphor about being confined by the known on the fatalist <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=P1KTbDxOuuQ\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">\u201cPunching the Flowers.\u201d<\/a> It always seemed he was punching the flowers \/ Taking for granted the sweetness til it soured,\u201d he sings on the song.<\/p>\n\n<p>Gibbard doesn&#8217;t shy away from grappling with mental health on the record.<\/p>\n<p>On the deceivingly sunny <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=enZMf7mT_a8\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">\u201cPep Talk,\u201d<\/a> Gibbard tackles the arresting feeling of intrusive thoughts. The sentiment, he says, is similar to what <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/john-lennon\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"null\">John Lennon<\/a> was referring to in \u201cHelp!\u201d \u201cYou have to wonder sometimes if there&#8217;s a level of disillusionment as [John] moved later in the career of <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/the-beatles-8670854\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\" rel=\"null\">the Beatles<\/a> is that no one was listening to him. He was literally telling\u2026this was obviously overwhelming, and people just didn&#8217;t listen,\u201d says Gibbard.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Growing up with military fathers, he and bandmate Nick Harmer, admittedly, were conditioned to \u201csuck up\u201d their feelings. He&#8217;s not sure how much of it has to do with that or being a part of Gen X. \u201cI think it&#8217;s awesome that young people are starting to have those conversations,\u201d says Gibbard.<\/p>\n<p>The propulsive, almost jarring, <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wxWVIjUFQT8\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">\u201cHow Heavenly a State\u201d<\/a> reflects on dreams Gibbard has had about a close friend who died by suicide years ago. \u201cThis person [who is] entering my subconscious feels as if it&#8217;s indicative of an existence of some cosmic plane, some spiritual plane that this person is trying to tell me something,\u201d he says, tears welling in his eyes. It&#8217;s a song Gibbard struggles to discuss.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On the poignant <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ysw_9u8vLBg\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">\u201cStone Over Water,\u201d<\/a> Gibbard admits he&#8217;s \u201ctrying to hold it together\u201d before <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YhruCF_beiA\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"null\">\u201cRiptides\u201d<\/a> reveals that he can no longer do it. On the latter, he also references a lyric from his 2015 track \u201cYou&#8217;ve Haunted Me All My Life:&#8221; \u201cThere&#8217;s a flaw in my heart&#8217;s design.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve always been looking for opportunities for callbacks because I feel like this body of work that I&#8217;ve amassed over my career is like each album is a chapter in this larger story,\u201d says Gibbard. He liked the idea of building off the lyric for \u201cRiptides\u201d with \u201cThere&#8217;s a fatal flaw in my heart&#8217;s design.&#8221; \u201cIt is no longer something that&#8217;s sort of f\u2014ed up. It&#8217;s like, no, this is a defeat device built into it and almost upping the ante, raising the stakes, so to speak, of that metaphor now 10 years later,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<p>Gibbard ultimately found healing in talk therapy, movement therapy, spending time in the mountains and in ultra running. Of course, also, having an outlet as a writer helped him through the process. \u201cI&#8217;m able to write about it, hopefully, eloquently, effectively and relatably while being very transparent and honest but not laying anybody else&#8217;s bulls\u2014 out there. It wasn&#8217;t my desire to use this as a score-settling opportunity,\u201d says Gibbard, who is protective of the privacy of his ex.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Depper also notes that as a listener, a \u201cvindictive approach\u201d is unsatisfying. \u201cIt&#8217;s much more compelling to hear your internal experience, and for the listener to empathize with those feelings too, because anger fades,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/EhOMW3ApNmrdI6VDNQQMIplZY7k=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/death-cab-for-cutie-060526-2b5ec787f366405e85d3dcacda1e4379.jpg\" alt=\"Death Cab for CutieCredit: Shervin Lainez\" title=\"Death Cab for Cutie\" \/><figcaption><i>Death Cab for Cutie<br \/>Credit: Shervin Lainez<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In hindsight, Gibbard admits he could have approached things differently as he reflects on his split from <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/zooey-deschanel\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">Zooey Deschanel<\/a>, whom <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/celebrity\/ben-gibbard-zooey-deschanel-split-he-was-awestruck-even-talked-to-him\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"null\">he was married to from 2009 to 2012. <\/a>\u201cIt&#8217;s like when you have a publicist crafting a message of, \u2018It&#8217;s an amicable split.&#8217; F&#8212; that s&#8212;. I was like, &#8220;I have to f&#8212;ing say what I got to say.&#8217;\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Gibbard has since grown as a person and done a lot of internal work. He&#8217;s hopeful, but has also reached a place of radical acceptance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI still very much believe in love. I believe in marriage, I believe in all these things, but sometimes it doesn&#8217;t work out that way. You can either choose to feel embittered by that and feel as if you&#8217;ve been cheated of something or that you have failed at something, or you can just accept that this is how life works sometimes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s almost like someone once said, \u2018The way to make God laugh is to make a plan,&#8217;\u201d Depper teases.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Gibbard has chosen to embrace uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes [life] doesn&#8217;t work out the way you think it&#8217;s going to work out,\u201d says Gibbard, \u201cand how you react to loss or failure is a moment of real personal growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/deathcabforcutie.ffm.to\/ibyat\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\"><em>I Built You a Tower<\/em><\/a> is out now.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;I Built You a Tower,&#8217; out now,&#8217; is the band&#8217;s 11th studio LP Death Cab for CutieCredit: Ryan Russell NEED TO KNOW Death Cab for Cutie&#8217;s Ben Gibbard opens up about the grief and loss that inspired the band&#8217;s new album I Built You a Tower \u201cThe hope is that I&#8217;m writing from a position [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}