Album Review: Death Cab For Cutie - Thank You For Today

Thank You For Today is the ninth album from Seattle alt-rock outfit Death Cab For Cutie, and the first without founding member Chris Walla.

With the increased presence of synths and the addition of Dave Depper and Zac Rae, there's a new freshness to the record — however, little of the signature sonic qualities they've been establishing since their first album, released two decades ago, have been sacrificed.

Produced by Rich Costey, who worked on the album's successful predecessor Kintsugi, Thank You For Today achieves a balance of angsty, melancholy tracks, notably Your Hurricane and 60 & Punk, and carefree synth-pop-ish tunes with meaning.

Delivered by distorted vocals over dreamy, washy beds, Ben Gibbard's lyricism is perhaps lacking in comparison to previous releases, with some questionable lines among otherwise strong songs that tackle change and gentrification within Seattle (Gold Rush, You Moved Away).

Thank You For Today is a solid standalone album that boasts a few strong, standout tracks (namely I Dreamt We Spoke Again and Northern Lights), but in comparison to the magic of their early-mid-'00s releases (Transatlanticism, Plans), it comes across a little lacklustre.