Death Cab for Cutie tries to dance through the dread in their new single “An Arrow In the Wall.” Produced by John Congleton, their latest tune finds frontman Ben Gibbard attempting to shake off looming worries about the future.
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“‘An Arrow In the Wall’ is about the warning signs all around us in the 21st century that society-at-large is in decay,” Gibbard says in a statement. “The arrow lodged in the wall might have missed this time, but it would be naive to assume the next one won’t also.”
The song’s cautionary message is transformed into an unorthodox club anthem in the accompanying remix by synth-pop outfit CHVRCHES. Driven by a pulsating beat, their high-energy reinterpretation of the song adds another layer of melancholy to its pleading lyrics.
An arrow in the wall, arrow in the wall / Take it as a warning / That you are gonna fall, you are gonna fall / Even if you’re soaring / An arrow in the wall, arrow in the wall
“We have been good friends with CHVRCHES since touring together in 2019,” adds Gibbard. “They took our maudlin little dance track and turned it into a major key club banger.”
On September 5, Death Cab for Cutie will embark on a co-headlining tour with Gibbard’s electro-pop project The Postal Service. The stretch of shows marks the 20th anniversary of each act’s influential albums—Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism and The Postal Service’s Give Up—which will be played in full.
[RELATED: The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie Announce Co-Headlining 2023 Tour]
A limited number of tickets for the tour’s final stop in Los Angeles are still available to purchase. Find a full list of concert dates and additional ticketing information at Death Cab for Cutie’s official website.
Listen to the studio version of “An Arrow In the Wall” and the CHVRCHES remix below.
Photo Credit: Jimmy Fontaine/Atlantic Records
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