Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard Announces Solo Album

Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard has announced plans to release his first solo album, Former Lives, on Oct. 16.

our editor recommends

Death Cab For Cutie Live from the Artists Den

Zooey Deschanel, Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard Separate

The musician formed the indie band in 1997 and later went on to become the lead vocalist of The Postal Service in 2003. The singer, who was married to Zooey Deschanel for two years before the actress filed for divorce last year, says there isn’t a specific theme for this album.

“The songs themselves are not all of a particular mode — they’re not all about one subject — and they’re not from one definitive era of my life," Gibbard told Stereogum.

Former Lives will be the first album by the multi-talented singer/songwriter, who wrote all of the tracks during the past eight years.

“It wasn’t a goal and it certainly wasn’t a reaction to any sort of dissatisfaction to recording with Death Cab or anything like that. It certainly doesn’t come out of like 'I have all these songs to record and I’m not getting my fix with the band,'" he explained. "It was never anything like that and I never really had this idea that 'Oh someday I’ll make a solo record,' and that I’ll go solo, which is definitely not what this is.”

Gibbard released Codes and Keys with Death Cab for Cutie in May 2011, their seventh studio album. The band is currently on tour.

Gibbard plans to perform a string of shows after the release of Former Lives this fall.