Ben Gibbard is taking a new direction with his latest album, *I Built You a Tower*. This year, he celebrated the 20th anniversaries of both Death Cab for Cutie’s *Transatlanticism* and The Postal Service’s *Give Up*. However, while looking back, Gibbard was also dealing with a divorce, which heavily influenced the new album.
This isn’t the first time Gibbard has channeled personal experiences into his music. His 2015 album, *Kintsugi*, came out after his split from actress Zooey Deschanel. He describes *Kintsugi* as a “rather bitter album,” with songs like “Black Sun” reflecting that pain. Gibbard admits he likes some tracks from that album but wouldn’t want to recreate it.
With *I Built You a Tower*, Gibbard aimed to take a different approach. He wanted to explore his feelings without leaning into bitterness or anger. “There is a whole fleet of emotions when you go through a divorce,” he explains. Instead of writing a “clapback” record, he focused on his internal experience.
The album is out now and features the lead single “Riptides.” Death Cab for Cutie will kick off a U.S. tour in July to support the new release.
