Friday brought big news from indie-rock legends Death Cab for Cutie, plus a big hint about what’s to come from the band.
The concrete details involve DCC jumping to a new label, ANTI- Records, joining an intergenerational all-star roster that includes the likes of Fleet Foxes, The Beths, Dr. Dog and Katy Kirby. More crucially for Death Cab’s Milwaukee fans, they announced a tour that will stop at the Miller High Life Theatre on July 11 — just one day after the opening show in Minneapolis.
"We are thrilled to be joining the roster at ANTI-, which includes some of our favorite artists, old friends and in many cases, both,” frontman Ben Gibbard said in a release. “We also can’t wait to begin this new chapter with the wonderful staff at ANTI- and share with you what we’ve been working on."
Gibbard’s last comment is the aforementioned hint, which not-so-subtlely indicates we can expect new music from Death Cab for Cutie in the near future. Any fresh project would be the band’s first since their 10th studio album, Asphalt Meadows, came out in 2022.
Death Cab will be joined by opener Jay Som at the Miller High Life Theatre for the July 11 show, tickets for which go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. next Friday, Jan. 30, online via AXS and at the Pabst/Riverside box offices.
Artist bio: Death Cab for Cutie
Formed in Bellingham, Wash., in 1997, Death Cab for Cutie quickly emerged as one of the defining bands of their era, propelled by the emotionally incisive songwriting of co-founder, vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Benjamin Gibbard.
The band’s global breakthrough came with 2003’s Transatlanticism, a platinum-certified release later named by NPR as one of the decade’s most important recordings. Their 2005 major-label debut Plans pushed them to even greater prominence, earning platinum status and their first Grammy nominations.
Subsequent albums — including Narrow Stairs, Codes and Keys, and Kintsugi — continued to expand their sonic palette while securing a total of eight Grammy nominations, and cementing their critical and cultural standing.
In the years since, Death Cab for Cutie have consistently reaffirmed their relevance and creative ambition. 2018’s Thank You for Today marked a new chapter, featuring the chart-topping single “Gold Rush,” while later projects highlighted the band’s collaborative spirit and civic engagement — from high-profile musical partnerships to The Georgia EP, which raised over $100,000 for voting rights efforts.
Gibbard’s 2022 tribute project, Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono,earned widespread acclaim, and that same year the band released their 10th studio album, Asphalt Meadows, underscoring a legacy defined not only by longevity, but by continual artistic growth and purpose.
