Asphalt Meadows
| Death Cab for Cutie
Asphalt Meadows
Asphalt Meadows is the tenth studio album by American rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on September 16, 2022, through Atlantic Records. Produced by John Congleton, the album was preceded by the singles "Roman Candles", "Here to Forever" and "Foxglove Through the Clearcut". Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
At last, the band’s 10th album restores their creative momentum. If the songs don’t feel as lived-in, at least they unlock the repressed memory of what it was like to be deeply moved by Death Cab for Cutie.
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Paste Magazine
Asphalt Meadows Is Death Cab for Cutie’s Most Consistent Album in Over a Decade.
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NME
A return to the college rockers’ best.
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PopMatters
Death Cab for Cutie show their place in the indie rock pantheon on Asphalt Meadows while also producing music deserving of consideration with some of their best early work.
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Sputnik Music
The album is – by turns – fun, sad, lethargic, exciting, and genuinely stirring. A demonstration not only of what the band has done, but what it can do. And as good an example as any that streamlining one’s sound does not always mean losing inspiration. In this way, Asphalt Meadows not only lives up to but truly, actually fulfils the promise of Death Cab for Cutie – of music not always new, or unique, or 'experimental', but always, always genuine, and always, always packed with emotion.
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The Harvard Crimson
“Asphalt Meadows,” Death Cab’s first LP in over four years, will leave many hoping that the band never gives up on music either.
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Treblezine
The fact is that Death Cab have always been a pop band—albeit an indie-inflected one—and if they want to start spelling pop with a capital P, then more power to them, especially if they’re this good at it. Emphasizing one part of your musical DNA while de-stressing others can be a fulfilling experience for a musician—and, if you’re open-minded, for the listener, too.
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musicOMH
On their 10th album there’s something about Ben Gibbard’s plaintive vocals, combined with his band’s ability to create a dreamy melody, which can transport you back in time.
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AllMusic
That spaced-out sound returns at the close with the meandering "Fragments from the Decade" -- a programming/production spectacle that is as spacious as it is vulnerable -- and the epic "I'll Never Give Up on You," a showcase of buzzing electronics, dramatic piano chords, and layered vocals. Kicking off their third decade post-Barsuk, Death Cab continue their evolution in fascinating and rewarding ways, somehow managing to surprise with fresh directions and sounds yet unheard from this ever-reliable crew.
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DIY Magazine
A record that finds its voice in emerging into musical freedoms found in separation.
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The Review Geek
Death Cab For Cutie doesn’t deter from their usual tones and subject. Asphalt Meadows is like the next piece of the puzzle, which fits together beautifully.
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The Line of Best Fit
Swim against the tide of received wisdom and you will find much to love about Asphalt Meadows, that feels like success to me
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Idobi
“Asphalt Meadows” makes you feel seen and a bit less alone. Death Cab captured the emotions that welled up inside of you, that you don’t quite know how to describe. All while giving it a beat that makes you want to sing along.
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The Skinny
The Washington quintet’s tenth album is a reflective collation of calmness and chaos in an ever-changing world.
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Beats Per Minute
Overall, Asphalt Meadows is a fine record from a band so deep into their career they really have nothing left to prove — except, it seems, to themselves. Even when they experiment with their sound (however gently) it doesn’t always result in a strong album, but what they do is usually at least admirable. Here, it transcends “admirable” and becomes actually impressive. Gibbard and company could easily rest on their laurels, and to a degree they kind of do — every album they’ve made absolutely sounds like a Death Cab album, both a blessing and a curse — but with Asphalt Meadows, they show us that, when the stars align, there’s still electricity to be found. And incidentally, that seems a fittingly optimistic and apt result of an album dedicated to the search for meaning.
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Stereoboard
On ‘Asphalt Meadows’ he can be both candid and veiled but it is clear that the march of time and its implications are at the forefront of his mind. But as he and his band look towards middle age, they have found new ways to keep their output both exciting and engaging.
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Daily Bruin
Equipped with immersive storytelling, rich melodies and an authentic rock feel, Death Cab for Cutie has made clear it isn’t giving up on old fans and new audiences anytime soon.
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Under the Radar Magazine
With its apparent ’80s alt and New Wave influences and timely lyrics, DCFC’s newest offering represents both a creative rebirth and necessary artistic statement. It is a bold return to form, a worthy soundtrack to the remainders of our haunted lives. Sure, founding member Chris Walla’s presence is still missed, but Death Cab for Cutie has persevered in his absence. An undeniable triumph, Asphalt Meadows is likely to gain the group new listeners, as well as thrill old fans.
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Exclaim!
With Asphalt Meadows, it's apparent that the band came together following a shared experience with a concise vision for what they wanted to create, and the album is all the better for it. It's the first time in over a decade that Death Cab have felt so undeniably, well, Death Cab. They've managed to create an album that feels fresh while also being the closest they've come to recreating the magic of earlier records. This is a band that has finally found a way to evolve without eliminating what it was that made them so special in the first place. While it may not be on the same level as their highest highs, it's reassuring to see a band get as close as they have to revisiting their peak so late in their career.
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Riff Magazine
Asphalt Meadows goes out on a high note. “I’ll Never Give Up On You” features a menacing buzz, heavy drumming and an orchestral synth. “I’ve given up on aspiration/ And I’ve given up on ever being cool/ Gave up the drugs that made me restless/ And the alcohol that made me cruel/ But I’ll never give up on you,” Gibbard sings with conviction, and it might be directed at a lover, to his band or to the audience. After all this time, it’s good to know that he hasn’t given up on Death Cab for Cutie, and he has a great album to show for it.
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Sputnik Music
Asphalt Meadows sounds somewhat transitionary, like Death Cab for Cutie were afraid to properly commit to the new sound. Maybe their eleventh album will finally remind us of why we fell in love with them in the first place. In 2022, though, Asphalt Meadows leaves me with a single thought in my head.
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ACRN
Asphalt Meadows is something that I fear will go underappreciated by your average indie-rock fan, but its release is perfect for the self-reflective fall season that just hit. It’s a solid album with a lot of sonic diversity, while still having a good flow and sounding cohesive. Overall, it’s a good album, but it’s still your average indie-rock album. It’s not a new sound for Death Cab, merely just another good indie-rock record.
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The Indiependent
A lot has happened since for the band with the release of the tenth album, with band members departing, the world, and a change to their musical interests. However, this album marks a return to the Death Cab for Cutie that we all know and recognise. The drums are back, and the striking percussion really brings the album alive.
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Gigwise
Asphalt Meadows reverses the trend: there is a lot to love here. It’s clear the last couple of years have been troubling for frontman Ben Gibbard and over this record he pours out these emotions with both warmth and bleakness. After all, it’s both infectious and easy to identify with. Death Cab are back and proving why their television exposure twenty years earlier is still so justified.
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Commedia
Overall, this album has some passionate and somber lyrics about love, as well as experiences in the world and with others, but gets a bit too boring and repetitive at times. The repetition of certain lyrics, phrases, and choruses is overarching throughout the album, which is a bold choice, although it was slightly abused.
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Clunk Magazine
‘Asphalt Meadows’ is a beautiful album with Gibbard’s vocals always the star of the show, the band complimenting him beautifully with a style of playing that somehow feels unfussed yet intricate. ‘Asphalt Meadows’ is a perfect example of why Death Cab For Cutie are a band of cult status.
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Northern Transmissions
Where other albums of theirs have hit or miss songs, near every song on this album hits it out of the park. They could tour with just these songs and make their listeners happy, I think. It’s like Christmas, getting such a wonderful album from one of my favorite indie bands. And I think I’ll be digging into this for a while.
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Music Matters Media
But will Asphalt Meadow inspire listeners to retain their faith in Death Cab for Cutie? If nothing else, the band is as tight and solid as ever: lead singer Ben Gibbard still vocally plays the classic everyman to a T, while guitarist Dave Depper, bassist Nick Hammer, keyboardist Zac Rae, and drummer Jason McGerr all deliver more than solid performances. Asphalt Meadows is/are at least worth a visit.
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Flood Magazine
The sonic postcards and arcane references on the band’s tenth studio album are driven by a newfound curiosity, one that succeeds in stretching their best components farther than ever before.
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Rock Sins
While this is 100% percent a Death Cab For Cutie album, the little creative flourishes give them a renewed sense of identity. In a musical landscape now populated by bands & artists following in their footsteps, it’s nice to see them prove once again why they are still the leaders of the pack.
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Birthday Cake For Breakfast
Generally speaking, ‘Asphalt Meadows‘ is another great Death Cab For Cutie album. To some it may sound like Death Cab doing what they do best, but I think it has a fire in its belly that is hard to ignore. It may not have that initial immediacy of ‘Thank You For Today‘, but there’s a depth and pensiveness to both the songwriting and production that feels indicative of the times it was written in. It sounds like a band finding a renewed sense of purpose in the world; feeling refreshed and thankful, this is a grand return.
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Dork
It’s a serviceable record for a band well past their heyday, with a small number of highlights that will undoubtedly make it into a live show. It’s unlikely to win them any new fans but current fans will likely enjoy it nonetheless. It’s not quite as good as their last album ‘Thank You For Today’ but let’s face it, it’s still just about worth a listen especially if you like the worlds Gibbard weaves with his words.
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QRO Magazine
When so much has changed, so much we relied on has become questionable (Gibbard also had a pandemic moment when he advocated against the destabilization of the postal service), it’s just wonderful that Death Cab for Cutie has become such a mainstream in alternative excellence.
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Total Ntertainment
An album full of familiarity, surprise and moments that take you into your own imagination, “Asphalt Meadows” is precisely the kind of return Death Cab For Cutie fans must have been wishing for.
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Spectrum Culture
Ben Gibbard shows off his most evocative writing in years and producer John Congleton yields some experimental home runs, but the band’s 10th record too often falls into old bad habits.
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Stack
Asphalt Meadows is bold in its production but unmistakably Death Cab, a band that deserve their status as one of the most cherished acts of the 21st century.
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