Michael Rogers

Death Cab for Cutie is one of the most profound and influential indie bands of the 2000s who continue to produce high quality alternative rock and emo tinged pop despite the band being 22 years old. Some critics have said they have lost their edge with their past two albums, which marked a turn in their songwriting style, but if that’s the case they have certainly returned to the sound that made them popular with this EP. The Blue EP consists of 5 songs which all call to mind distinct imagery through frontman Benjamin Gibbard’s beautiful lyricism. It starts off strong with “To the Ground” and “Kids in ‘99” which serve as almost historical ballads that describe tragic events that occured in Gibbard’s native Seattle throughout the 90’s. It then transitions into “Man in Blue” which serves as a very slow and melancholy break for the album that sounds like it could come right off of an album at the band’s height. The last two songs “Before the Bombs” and “Blue Bloods” which are strong in their own right and sound similar to the band’s early material before they hit their stride. If you used to be a fan of Death Cab but fell off recently I would highly recommend this EP as a perfect point to jump back in as it is a welcome return to form for the band.