Death Cab for Cutie, arguably indie rock’s greatest success story, has added a new album to an already outstanding and impressive discography late this past May with Codes and Keys. The band’s seventh album has gotten both positive and negative reviews from magazines such as Paste and Rolling Stone. Paste Magazine called it “A good one with great moments from a band that’s clearly getting better with age”, and they couldn’t be more right. Every album from Death Cab for Cutie has matured in its own way, and Codes and Keys is no exception.
The album itself resembles Death Cab for Cutie’s discography in that the songs get better as the album progresses. The first half of the eleven-track album is sometimes forgettable and predictable, but still has the classic Death Cab for Cutie sound that we’ve fallen in love with. At track 6, “Unobstructed Views”, the general tone and mood of the album shifts to a more mature, sophisticated sound that gives contrast to the album as a whole. The song’s three minute into is almost like hitting a reset button on the album, and it leads almost perfectly to the remaining five tracks. The final song on Codes and Keys, “Stay Young, Go Dancing”, is the cherry on top in every sense. It’s an uplifting and beautiful song with a melody that’s practically irresistible.

All in all, Codes and Keys sums up to be one of Death Cab for Cutie’s best albums and it’s definitely worth a listen and worth a download. The band is touring throughout the United States and Europe this summer to promote the new album.