Well, Death Cab for Cutie fans, we have good news and bad news. Which do you want first? The bad news? Guitarist Chris Walla just announced that he’s leaving the band after 17 fun-filled years. He is quoted as saying he “longs for the unknown”, which means he needs a world in which he is not a member of Death Cab. His last concert with the group will be on September 13 at Rifflandia Festival. Okay, so are you ready for the good news? The group is set to release their eighth studio album sometime early in 2015. It’s the follow-up to 2011’s Codes and Keys. With new album news comes new touring dates, so we suspect that a supporting tour will be announced as soon as we get a release date. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you updated.

Formed in Bellingham, WA in 1997, as a side project for front man (and The Postal Service vocalist) Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie really came to widespread notoriety when they were mentioned in the television show The O.C. in 2004. 2003’s Transatlanticism was their first commercial success. The band signed with Atlantic Records in 2005, releasing Plans soon after.

Death Cab for Cutie Tour Dates & Tickets

Death Cab for Cutie Video for “Soul Meets Body”

Image source: Marmota via Flickr.