Death Cab for Cutie Explore the Existential on ‘Foxglove Through the Clearcut’

Death Cab for Cutie traverse new sonic territory with the quasi-experimental new single “Foxglove Through the Clearcut,” which comes off the band’s upcoming studio album Asphalt Meadows, out September 16.

Combining spoken word elements with the band’s signature observational lyricism and introspective instrumentation, the song examines the thoughts brought about by aimless wanderings, random encounters and solitude. Initially morose and defeatist in its opening stanzas — frontman Ben Gibbard pleadingly repeats the phrase “nowhere left to go” during an early refrain — the song builds to a swirling crescendo of dreamy guitar leads and serenity as Gibbard reflects on the imagery of “ten thousand tombstones reaching for the sky.”

“Foxglove is by far the most personal song on the record,” Gibbard said of the song in a statement. “While I was writing it, I thought I was merely the narrator. But the longer I sat with it, I realized I was both the protagonist AND the narrator.”

“Foxglove Through the Clearcut” follows previous album cuts “Roman Candles” and “Here to Forever,” which was accompanied by a music video directed by noted filmmaker Lance Bangs. Death Cab will hit the road in support of Asphalt Meadows this fall, with fellow indie rock trailblazers Yo La Tengo and Low providing support on select dates. The expansive tour kicks off September 22 in Madison, Wisconsin and wraps with a two-night stint at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre on September 26 and 27.