Death Cab for Cutie- The Blue EP Review
By Kalei Burgess
Death Cab for Cutie has come a long way since their days of playing warped tour and releasing teen anthems. Their newest project, The Blue EP, is their 12th release with Atlantic Records. This five track project explores deeper lyrics and an obvious experimentation with new sounds, compared to their earlier hits such as “Navigate Me.” Rather than singing about teen romance and heartbreak, each track in The Blue EP is a narrative of a different kind of tragedy.
The EP begins with the song, To the Ground. This track describes the event of fatal car accident and its aftermath. The story is progressed through the verses; the first verse is the driver losing control, the second describes the car catching on fire, and the final talks about people forgetting and life going on.
The second song on the EP, Kids in ‘99 isn’t much happier. Referring to the Olympic Pipeline Explosion in Seattle in 1999, the bleak lyrics pay tribute to the three children that died as a result of the explosion. Despite these being some of the saddest lyrics on the EP, the tone of the song is probably the most uplifting. The sound of Kids of ‘99 is actually very similar to a Coldplay song, with dramatic baselines and tame drum instrumentals.
Man in Blue is about old, unrequited love. Possibly the most depressing song on the EP, Man in Blue describes a man desperate to understand a past lover he is still dwelling on. This track also has some very religious questioning lyrics, such as, “And when you need someone/Why do you always run /To your Lord up above.” The term “Man in Blue” becomes sort of a euphemism to a higher power, and while accompanied by very depressing and stretched out music, makes for a real rainy-day type of track.
Before the Bombs is Death Cab’s anti-war anthem, criticizing the government’s dishonesty and the horrors of war. While describing bombs, fires, and weapons, Death Cab reiterates the same line, “There’s only one thing that they cannot take: Love.” In such a politically charged time in history, it was only fitting they made a track addressing war.
Finally, the EP closes with the song, Blue Bloods. This is the only track off of the Blue EP that has an actual music video. The video has virtually nothing to do with the actual lyrics, which describe a missing persons case. There’s a very unclear ending to the story line, and we’re not actually sure if the missing person is ever actually found.
While this is a great EP with some very experimental sounds, its not necessarily the most unique thing I’ve ever heard. The lo-fi kind of sounds and depressing content make it an EP you’re not going to listen to on a great day. It is nice, however, to constantly see growth and maturity from Death Cab for Cutie with every new project they release. The Blue EP is available to stream on both Spotify and Apple Music.
