The American indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie started in 1997 in the city of Bellingham (Washington) as a solo project by Ben Gibbard. The latter recorded a cassette tape entitled You Can Play These Songs With Chords, which ended up being a local success and led Gibbard to expand the band.

With Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Nicholas Harmer (bass), Nathan Good (drums) and Chris Walla (guitar, keyboards), Death Cab for Cutie released in 1999 its first album, entitled Something About Airplanes, on the label Barsuk Records. Then, in 2000, came We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes. Drummer Nathan Good left the band during the recording of this second work. Subsequently, Michael Schorr took over the drums.

In 2001 the album The Photo Album was released. The following year, Ben Gibbard's debut album, You Can Play These Songs With Chords, was re-released with some rarities and covers added, including a version of "This Charming Man" by The Smiths.

In 2003 there was another drummer change. Jason McGerr replaced Michael Schorr. That year, Death Cab for Cutie released the album Transatlanticism. Songs from this album were used on the soundtrack of the TV series "The O.C.", "Six Feet Under", "CSI: Miami" and "Californication".

In 2004, the band left Barsuk Records and signed to Atlantic Records. The first Atlantic album, Plans, was released in 2005. In 2008, the group released the album Narrow Stairs. The following year came the EP The Open Door. The group's seventh studio album, Codes and Keys, was released in 2011. In 2015, Kintsugi came out. In 2018, Death Cab for Cutie released Thank You for Today.

Produced by John Congleton, Asphalt Meadows, the band's tenth album, arrived in 2022.