Ahead of their upcoming album, Asphalt Meadows, Death Cab For Cutie has shared a transcendent new song. On “Foxglove In The Clearcut,” lead vocalist Ben Gibbard delivers poignant, haunting spoken-word poetry over a meditative track, that opens with a dreamy harp. As the song progresses, drums and guitars kick in, creating a sense of pure emotion.
The song tells the story of a man questioning his existence at various points in his life.
“’Foxglove’ is by far the most personal song on the record,” said Gibbard 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.”
In a recent interview with Audacy, Gibbard revealed that the band opted for a “Round Robin” style of songwriting and collaborating for the album.
“We would choose an order… pick a piece of music, and then each member would have 24 hours to add their own ideas,” he said. “No one would hear it, and the rule was once you had the music in front of you, you had complete creative control over it. You could do whatever you wanted to it. If it was like a samba and you wanted to make it into a hardcore song, you could do it. The person who initiated this sort of chain letter on Monday would only hear what the song sounded like on Friday because we weren’t giving progress reports. No one was allowed to listen to it until Friday.”
Check out “Foxglove In The Clearcut” above.
Asphalt Meadows is out 9/16 via Atlantic Records. Pre-save it here.
Death Cab For Cutie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.