Benjamin Gibbard Releases New Single 'Life in Quarantine'

"The airports and train stations are full of desperate people / But no one is going anywhere soon," proclaims Benjamin Gibbard in the melancholy chorus of his new single, "Life in Quarantine," available digitally and streaming everywhere today.

Gibbard also performed the new song today on MSNBC's morning talk show Morning Joe.

The Seattle-based Death Cab for Cutie front man unveiled the new song in a video late last week as part of local alt-weekly The Stranger's A Message to the City series, noting "I know this is a really f---ed up and scary time for everybody, including myself, and I know that we're all trying to figure out what to do to make it better or alleviate the suffering of someone else."

The track released today (via Barsuk Records) is a new home-studio recording of "Life in Quarantine."

Net proceeds from the digital release will be donated to Seattle-area relief organizations, including homelessness-support services non-profit Aurora Commons (https://www.auroracommons.org/), a welcoming space for unhoused Seattle residents to rest, prepare a meal, connect to resources, and collectively create a healthy and vibrant community.

Gibbard has also been live streaming daily concerts from his home since the beginning of the Seattle area's voluntary social-distancing efforts on March 17th. The livestreams, which have included songs from throughout his career with Death Cab, The Postal Service and his solo material along with covers and other surprises, has been featured by outlets such as Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Variety, NPR, and more and prompted Stereogum to ask, "Is Ben Gibbard going to single-handedly get us all through quarantine? I mean, a lot of other people are doing livestream performances, but Gibbard is really going all in: He is playing daily, and every day he brings something new to the table."

The concerts are archived on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch and begin at 4pm PST daily. Donations to a variety of non-profit organizations helping to deal with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged with every streamed set.

Photo Credit: Rachel Demy

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