Though Ben Gibbard is known for his definitive work with the cult favorite electronic group, The Postal Service, the Death Cab For Cutie founder hasn’t been working in that space of late. That changes today with “Only Love,” his second collaboration with Tycho, who remixed the Death Cab track “The Ghosts Of Beverly Drive” back in 2016. Both artists had plenty to say about their new track, which touches on the issue of climate change in subtle and serious ways.
From Tycho, describing how Gibbard’s vocals brough the song to life:
“I had been a fan of Ben’s work for a long time when, in 2016, I had the chance to do a remix for Death Cab For Cutie’s track “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive.” Ben’s voice was a very inspiring element to work with from a production standpoint, I felt it really meshed well with the kinds of sounds and instrumentation I gravitate towards. “Only Love” started life as an instrumental, but something was missing. I sent a rough demo to Ben and he recorded some vocals over it. The first time I heard the rough vocals the whole song suddenly made sense and the arrangement flowed out of that. After my early experimentations with vocals on Weather this felt like a great opportunity to put everything I had learned during that process into practice. It was certainly an honor to be able to work with such an iconic voice.”
Gibbard also had a lot to say about the collaboration:
“In 2014 while reading This Changes Everything: Capitalism And The Climate by Naomi Klein, I came across a quote from Montanan goat rancher and environmentalist Alexis Bonogofsky that moved me immensely. Speaking about the fight to protect public lands in southeastern Montana from the mining company Arch Coal, she said: ‘(The) connection to this place and the love people have for it, that’s what Arch Coal doesn’t get. They underestimate that. They don’t understand it so they disregard it. And that’s what in the end will save that place. It’s not the hatred for the coal companies, or anger, but love will save that place.
When Scott sent me the music for “Only Love,” it seemed perfect for this statement. Since reading Alexis’ words, I’ve carried them as a universal truth; that the only way we preserve the people, places or things we care for is with love, not hatred. This is often easier said than done, of course. But I find myself coming back to her statement as if it were a mantra. I grew up hiking and camping on public lands here in Washington State and my love for them has only increased since becoming a mountain / ultra / trail runner. They were in the forefront of my mind while working on this song.”
Check out the collaboration above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .
