Death Cab for Cutie to Stream ‘Plans’ Visual Album for 15th Anniversary

Death Cab for Cutie’s major label debut album Plans turns 15 this week, and to celebrate, the band will be streaming the album’s 2006 short film Directions on their YouTube page. The film features visuals for every song on the record, each by a different director.

“Fifteen years ago we made our major-label debut with our fifth studio album Plans. We told ourselves that it was just another album, that now being on Atlantic Records was no big deal, but it was and we knew it,” bassist Nick Harmer wrote in a statement on the band’s Twitter. “I think that’s why we chose the barn studio at Long View Farms in Massachusetts, during winter, to isolate ourselves from the pressure and our fears and just be able to focus on music. We weren’t expecting getting snowed in and that gave the experience a heaping tablespoon of The Shining, but in the end, we were able to shut out the world and make the album that came from our hearts, a promise to ourselves that no matter what came at us next, we would always remember our music comes first.”


Death Cab for Cutie will stream Directions on Saturday, September 5th at 5:00 p.m. ET via their YouTube channel.

Along with the visual album, Death Cab for Cutie lead singer Ben Gibbard has been airing a weekly (formerly daily) livestream series, performing songs from the band’s catalog as well as Postal Service tunes and covers. Gibbard has encouraged fans to donate to a different charity on each livestream, including Seattle’s Aurora Commons and — appropriately — the United States Postal Service.