Death Cab for Cutie's 'KINTSUGI' Debuts at #1 on Current Alternative Chart

Atlantic recording group Death Cab for Cutie's eighth studio album, "KINTSUGI," has debuted at #1 on the Current Alternative Chart, #5 on the Current Album chart and #8 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Additionally, the band has revealed a number of new North American tour dates as "KINTSUGI" earns critical acclaim and popular success from all corners.

Death Cab for Cutie will embark on their hugely anticipated North American headline tour this Friday, April 10th in Mesa, Arizona and then travel through the fall (see below itinerary). The newly announced dates include stops in Salt Lake City, UT (July 16th), Manchester, NH (September 10th), Raleigh, NC (September 15th), Pittsburgh, PA (September 17th), Cincinnati, OH (September 18th), Columbus, OH (September 19th), Austin, TX (September 21st), San Diego, CA (September 25th), Santa Barbara, CA (September 26th), Reno, NV (September 28th), Missoula, MT (September 30th), and Spokane, WA (October 1st). Pre-sale tickets will be available to members of Death Cab for Cutie's official fan club beginning today, April 8th; additional pre-sales begin Thursday, April 9th; all remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 10th. For complete details and ticket information, please log on to http://deathcabforcutie.com/shows.

Previously announced highlights include sold out dates at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium on April 29th, Chicago's Chicago Theatre on April 30th and May 1st, and Toronto's Sony Centre For The Performing Arts on May 7th, as well as major shows including Hollywood's Hollywood Bowl on July 12th, Morrison, Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 15th, and New York City's Madison Square Garden on September 12th. The tour which also sees European festival dates and headline shows including three sold out nights at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire concludes October 3rd, 4th, and 5th with three homecoming shows at Seattle's Paramount Theatre. Support throughout the tour comes from an array of truly special guests, including Say Hi, The Antlers, Built To Spill, TUnE-YArDs, Twin Shadow, Best Coast and Explosions In The Sky.

"KINTSUGI" has been welcomed with widespread critical applause, with Stereogum praising it in a recent Cover Story as "inevitably elegiac...full of classic Death Cab structures and melodies, but with new little elements that still sets it apart. Synths and a rhythmic focus play a large role, but feel incorporated seamlessly into the band's pre-existing aesthetic..." "A return to what made many fans fall in love with the group," said NOISEY, as WYNC's Soundcheck declared "KINTSUGI" to be "a classic Death Cab record, if such a thing exists. Over 11 tracks, lead singer and songwriter Ben Gibbard examines heartache, loss, absence and dresses these themes in driving, occasionally soaring pop garb with impeccable sheen." "The band continues its penchant for thoughtful poetic confessionals," noted the New York Observer, adding, "The music flows like a well-written novel, telling the group's latest chapter beautifully." "The arrangements are leaner than before," wrote the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot, "creating a desolate atmosphere that puts Gibbard's carefully measured voice and lyrics upfront...The band's subtle, painterly contributions should not be underestimated...The background hum of electronics, the ticking percussion, the sinewy guitars, the vaporous, often wordless backing vocals give the narratives plenty of room to breathe." "A sparsely textured...heart-wrenchingly honest record," wrote Rolling Stone, while A.V. Club noted how "KINTSUGI" "blends the newer sounds of the group's recent output with the warmth and accessibility of its earlier work, which makes for a fine cocktail." Perhaps Magnet summed it up best: "With the new 'KINTSUGI,' Death Cab might have made the best record of its 17-year career."

Death Cab for Cutie recently launched "KINTSUGI" with a series of high profile TV appearances, including outdoor concert performances of the album's "Black Sun" and "No Room In Frame" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! (streaming now at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiOsBvWpQJU and www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-z4c8uGLzE) as well as a visit to CBS This Morning: Saturday that saw live takes on "Black Sun" (www.cbsnews.com/videos/saturday-sessions-death-cab-for-cutie-performs-black-sun), "No Room In Frame" (www.cbsnews.com/videos/saturday-sessions-death-cab-for-cutie-performs-no-room-in-frame), and "The Ghosts of Beverly Drive" (www.cbsnews.com/videos/saturday-sessions-death-cab-for-cutie-performs-the-ghosts-of-beverly-drive).

The band currently features the core membership of singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Jason McGerr augmented by new touring members Dave Depper (Menomena, Fruit Bats, Corin Tucker, Ray Lamontagne) and Zac Rae (My Brightest Diamond, Fiona Apple, Lana Del Rey, Gnarls Barkley), both of whom will contribute additional guitars and keyboards. The new line-up began 2015 by playing intimate dates in Brooklyn and Seattle their first shows since the departure of founding member Chris Walla. "The onstage chemistry between (the) original members...and the new players was surprisingly heartfelt," raved Seattle Weekly. "The vibe felt as if they had been jamming together for years, and it showed in how beautifully they riffed off of each other during the set's numerous instrumental solos."

"KINTSUGI" features the hit single, "Black Sun," currently the #1 song at Triple A radio outlets nationwide as well as a Top 5 favorite at Modern Rock. In addition, the "Black Sun" companion video directed by Robert Hales (Jack White, Tame Impala, Gnarls Barkley) is now approaching 1 million individual views at Death Cab for Cutie's official YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTbVIfqeDq0.

Recorded in Los Angeles with Rich Costey (Foster the People, Muse, Vampire Weekend, Chvrches) behind the board, "KINTSUGI" takes its title from the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum, highlighting cracks rather than hiding them. As such, kintsugi represents a compassionate aesthetic philosophy in which damage and wear are embraced as part of an object's history.

"Considering what we were going through internally, and with what a lot of the lyrics are about, it had a great deal of resonance for us the idea of figuring out how to repair breaks and make them a thing of beauty," says bassist Nick Harmer, who suggested the name to Gibbard and McGerr. "Philosophically, spiritually, emotionally, it seems perfect for this group of songs."

For nearly two decades, Death Cab for Cutie has been hailed as one of contemporary music's most compelling and creative collectives. Born in Bellingham, Washington in 1997, the band followed a long relationship with the Seattle-based independent label, Barsuk, by making their Atlantic Records debut with their fifth studio release, 2005's "PLANS." The album proved Death Cab for Cutie's popular breakthrough, earning RIAA platinum certification as well as spawning the chart-topping singles, "Soul Meets Body" and "I Will Follow You Into The Dark." The latter track was honored with a GRAMMY nomination as "Best Pop Performance By Duo Or Group With Vocals," with "PLANS" receiving the nod as "Best Alternative Album." "DIRECTIONS," the 2006 DVD companion to "PLANS," earned an additional GRAMMY nod as "Best Longform Music Video."

Now fully affirmed as an era-defining band, Death Cab for Cutie made a stunning #1 debut atop the SoundScan/Billboard 200 with 2008's RIAA gold certified "NARROW STAIRS." More critical acclaim and two further GRAMMY nominations followed, including nods for "Best Alternative Album" and "Best Rock Song" (honoring the hit single, "I Will Possess Your Heart"). "THE OPEN DOOR" EP was released in 2009, earning DCfC a third consecutive GRAMMY Award nomination for "Best Alternative Album." "CODES AND KEYS" arrived in 2011 and made a top 3 entry on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 before receiving the band's fourth straight GRAMMY nomination for "Best Alternative Music Album." "You Are A Tourist," the album's first single, also proved a multi-format radio smash, reaching #1 at both Triple A and Modern Rock outlets nationwide Death Cab for Cutie's first-ever #1 at the latter format.

For more news and information, please log on to www.deathcabforcutie.com.

(TOUR ITINERARY BELOW)

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2015

APRIL
10	Meza, AZ	FestivALTAZ @ Quail Run Park
23	Kansas City, MO	Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland * - SOLD OUT
24	Tulsa, OK	Brady Theatre (KMYZ Birthday Party) - SOLD OUT
25	Frisco, TX	Edgefest
27	Atlanta, GA	The Fox Theatre †
29	Nashville, TN	Ryman Auditorium † - SOLD OUT
30	Chicago, IL	The Chicago Theatre † - SOLD OUT
MAY
1	Chicago, IL	The Chicago Theatre † - SOLD OUT
2	Minneapolis, MN	Carlson Family Stage at Northrop † - SOLD OUT
4	Milwaukee, WI	Riverside Theater †
5	Detroit, MI	Fox Theatre
7	Toronto, ON	Sony Centre For the Performing Arts † - SOLD OUT
8	Montreal, QC	Metropolis Theatre † - SOLD OUT
9	Portland, ME	State Theatre † - SOLD OUT
10	Camden, NJ	Susquehanna Bank Center - SOLD OUT
12	Louisville, KY	Iroquois Amphitheater †
13	St Louis, MO	The Pageant † - SOLD OUT
JULY
8	Portland, OR	McMenamins Edgefield ‡ - SOLD OUT
9	Bend, OR	Les Schwab Amphitheatre ‡
11	Berkeley, CA	The Greek Theatre Berkeley ‡
12	Los Angeles, CA	Hollywood Bowl §
15	Morrison, CO	Red Rocks Amphitheatre §
16	Salt Lake City, UT	Twilight Concert Series§
SEPTEMBER
10	Manchester, NH	Verizon Wireless Arena
11	Boston, MA	Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
12	New York, NY	Madison Square Garden
13	Columbia, MD	Merriweather Post Pavilion
15	Raleigh, NC	Red Hat Amphitheater //
17	Pittsburgh, PA	Stage AE //
18	Cincinnati, OH	PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center //
19	Columbus, OH	LC Pavilion //
21	Austin, TX	ACL Live at The Moody Theater //
25	San Diego, CA	Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
26	Santa Barbara, CA	Santa Barbara Bowl **
28	Reno, NV	Grand Sierra Theatre**
30	Missoula, MT	Adams Center
OCTOBER
1	Spokane, WA	INB Performing Arts Center
3	Seattle, WA	Paramount Theatre †† - SOLD OUT
4	Seattle, WA	Paramount Theatre - SOLD OUT
5	Seattle, WA	Paramount Theatre ‡‡

w/Say Hi *
w/The Antlers †
w/Built To Spill ‡
w/TUnE-YArDs §
w/Explosions In The Sky
w/Twin Shadow //
w/Best Coast **
w/Unlikely Friends ††
w/Cataldo ‡‡

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