Death Cab for Cutie Feel the Weight in New Single ‘Punching the Flowers’

Death Cab for Cutie has shared a brand new single from their upcoming studio album, set for release this summer. The emotionally-charged and richly layered indie rock track “Punching the Flowers” explores how, for some, familiarity can feel like a heavy weight to bear.

Lead vocalist and songwriter Ben Gibbard penned the song, inspired by a snapshot moment in life when he observed a toddler in the throes of an emotional outburst, taking out their frustrations by literally punching flowers planted outside of a bodega. The raw, human feelings reflected during a childhood tantrum led Gibbard to craft lyrics echoing how those sentiments can persist and evolve into adulthood.

“’Punching the Flowers’ is a song about stagnation and the feeling of being imprisoned by The Known. And about the damage done when someone ventures deeper into the unknown,” he shares.

“It always seemed he was punching the flowers / Ruminating like a fatalist for hours with a voice like the sound of slamming doors, in a voice like the sound of slamming doors,” Gibbard declares in the song’s cutting chorus.

Death Cab for Cutie, I Built You a Tower

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1. “Full of Stars”
2. “Punching the Flowers”
3. “Pep Talk”
4. “I Built You a Tower (a)”
5. “Envy the Birds”
6. “Stone Over Water”
7. “How Heavenly a State”
8. “Trap Door”
9. “Riptides”
10. “The Flavor of Metal”
11. “I Built You a Tower (b)”

ALBUM OUT JUNE 5 VIA ANTI-

“Punching the Flowers” is the second single off I Built You a Tower, which is set for release on June 5 via ANTI- Records. The band’s 11th studio album, produced and engineered by John Congleton, was completed during studio sessions over the course of just three weeks. I Built You a Tower was born out of creative inspiration sparked by their recent 20th-anniversary tours celebrating Transatlanticism and Plans, two of their most commercially successful records.

“The anniversary tours exorcised any nostalgia in our systems,” band member Dave Depper reflects in a statement. “We felt part of this powerful force greater than all of us and went into the studio with a sense of, how can we capture that feeling and put it into something new?”

Bassist Nicholas Harmer adds, “The whole experience of this record got us back to the earliest versions of this band: If the musicians in the room like what we’re working on, that’s enough. We reconnected with the confidence that comes with that.”

In July, the band will embark on their I Built You a Tower World Tour, which will take them to venues in the U.S. and Canada through the summer. Japanese Breakfast, Jay Som, Lala Lala, Nation of Language, and Pool Kids will serve as support on select dates noted below. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. You can find more information about the tour by visiting Death Cab for Cutie’s official website.

Watch the official music video for “Punching the Flowers,” directed by Jason Lester, below: