Formed in 1997 in Bellingham, Washington, Death Cab for Cutie were initially the quintessential underdog college-radio act, anchored by co-founder, frontman, and lead songwriter Ben Gibbard’s achingly earnest, erudite (yet still accessible) lyricism that drew inspiration from ‘80s alternative tastemakers The Smiths, The Cure, second-wave emo progenitors Sunny Day Real Estate, lo-fi acoustic hero Elliott Smith, Northwest contemporaries Modest Mouse, and introspective rock heads Built To Spill.