Fresh off their massive summer tour, Seattle rock band Death Cab For Cutie released their seventh EP last week. Titled The Blue EP, the five-track effort gives a home to songs the band had left off their ninth studio album, 2018’s Thank You For Today.

The collection begins with “To The Ground,” a slow-building track with an intro reminiscent of the iconic four-and-a-half minute intro on “I Will Possess Your Heart” off of their 2008 album Narrow Stairs (though To The Ground features a much more palatable one-and-a-half minute intro).

“Kids In ‘99” follows the theme of the first track, with lyrics describing death and destruction, which seems to be a common thread throughout the EP (the song is loosely based on the Olympic Pipeline Explosion of 1999). Of course, you can’t have a Death Cab release without an introspective song that will break you into pieces, and “The Man In Blue” is that one.

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"To The Ground" was one of the first songs we worked on during the sessions for 'Thank You for Today'. It remained a band favorite throughout the process; indeed, literally up until the week that we had to send the record off to be mastered, the idea was for it to either begin or end the record! . In the end, we decided that it didn't quite fit in with the rest of the tracks thematically, and we wanted to give it a proper home where it could stretch its legs and take up the grand amount of space it demanded. Happily, the perfect home has been found – kicking off ‘The Blue EP', a collection of five new tracks, available on September 6th. . In the meantime, take a listen to "To The Ground" right now! . Pre-order merch bundles + more at store.deathcabforcutie.com

A post shared by Death Cab for Cutie (@deathcabforcutie) on Aug 16, 2019 at 7:06am PDT

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“Before The Bombs” features a classic and familiar Death Cab sound, witch a catchy guitar riff to accompany Ben Gibbard‘s layered vocals. The album is rounded out by the somber “Blue Bloods.” Perhaps the constant reference to the color blue is a nod to today’s climate of constant fear and negativity, or maybe it’s just a Joni Mitchell reference.

Not only does this album highlight Ben Gibbard & Co.’s ability to experiment with a new production while still maintaining their signature sound, but it also proves that the band will continue to evolve as they enter their 23rd year of existence.

Featured Image: Atlantic Records