Death Cab for Cutie - Kintsugi
Critic Score
Based on 33 reviews
2015 Ratings: #805 / 1021
User Score
Based on 248 ratings
2015 Rank: #578
Liked by 15 people
March 31, 2015 / Release Date
LP / Format
Atlantic / Label
Indie Rock / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

85
The Line of Best Fit

The consistently diffuse Kintsugi feels as if the emphasis is on songcraft, with the band striving to see Walla off simply with the strongest possible collection of tracks.

83
A.V. Club

Kintsugi is very much a companion piece to Codes And Keys, but where that album sounded like a group at ease with some emotional distance, the new record brings back the heartache and longing in a big way. 

80
DIY

Finally free of their pinning as the indie kid’s go-to mixtape tearjerker, Death Cab have blossomed into a thoughtful, stadium-destined rock band for the ages. 

70
Exclaim!

The album has an almost palpable air of melancholia about it, and though at times it threatens to derail the fun in even the most upbeat tracks, the added drama also lends the proceedings an urgency that helps elevate the album as a whole.

70
Clash

It is striking ... how Ben Gibbard keeps the tone so measured, how the searing heartbreak that bubbles underneath never quite burns through; caustic and corrosive, but potentially so thrilling.

70
Rolling Stone

Death Cab have coped with their losses collectively, and emerged with a heart-wrenchingly honest record.

70
Paste

Maybe Kintsugi isn’t a perfect effort. But like the ceramic art itself, Death Cab’s attempt at repatching was thoughtful, deliberate and, at times, really beautiful.

70
Drowned in Sound

Kintsugi is a finely-made tearjerker of a record ... featuring some crisp and well-structured songwriting that launches torrents of emotive air strikes to summon an appropriate degree of solemnity.

70
AllMusic

Although there are fragile solo numbers dotted throughout the album, most of Kintsugi shimmers upon a gloss constructed out of new wave remnants and faded memories of yacht rock. 

70
The 405

While many of the tracks fall flat, the vestiges of their prior form--confession and melody and, ultimately, charm--will likely still be evident enough to keep fans enamored.

60
Sputnikmusic

Kintsugi is a record more content to lob up softballs than it is to go in for the kill.

60
SPIN

Unlike Death Cab’s finest work, Gibbard’s melancholia does not offer enough verve to lift Kintsugi out of the sonic doldrums.

60
The Guardian

It doesn’t always work: sometimes it’s too overwrought and wanders into cliched territory.

60
No Ripcord

It’s almost as if Kintsugi was written with the sole purpose of, well, writing another record, a contractual obligation coming from an outfit that loves what they do, and are good at it, but can’t quite figure out how to resonate on an emotional level as they continue to outgrow their fanbase.

60
FasterLouder

Despite being a breakup album, Kintsugi isn’t a downer. It’s a dreamy, even optimistic, ride from song to song, but there’s not much that truly takes hold.

60
Slant Magazine

Kintsugi is a bit of course correction, with Walla's departure and Gibbard's recent divorce from Zooey Deschanel perhaps inspiring a return to the traits that first earned Death Cab success: earnest affection and a wistfulness for what could've been. 

60
The Skinny

Kintsugi is, for the most part, exactly what you’d expect from a band at Death Cab’s career juncture.

58
Pretty Much Amazing

It is seamless, unadulterated, pained, strained Death Cab, just like we’re used to. It’s no better or worse than anything dating back to Transatlanticism.

55
Under the Radar

As a whole, Kintsugi lacks the variety and inspiration typical to Death Cab, but it is by no means devoid of memorable tracks.  

55
Pitchfork

As with Codes & Keys, Gibbard promises reinvention and continues to play against his strengths without developing new ones.

43
Consequence of Sound

Gibbard never swings hard enough to strike out completely, with occasionally unfortunate production balanced by warm melodies, one of Gibbard’s greatest strengths as a musician.

30
PopMatters

This isn’t “indie rock” anymore, nor is it “dad rock”, as some notable naysayers may want to peg it. No, this is “obligation rock”: a forced brand of music that exists just because it has to.

SnowyFighter
69

Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Indietronica, is there a limit to how indie you can be

Kintsugi honestly stays in the same ball park of what they were doing with their previous record. There are some pretty great songs and then a lot of the album that feels a bit unmemorable even though it’s nice. I will say an easy standout to me is Black Sun. I’ve loved that song for a long time and it still holds its weight today. Hold No Guns is a pretty acoustic number as well. I don’t really ... read more

depechemode4lif
68

Codes & Keys but better. While on the surface many fans may be turned off by its mellow presentation and pristine production but the writing and arrangements on this album make for a much more consistent listen than its predecessor. This has some great emotional moments on here.

Crazynumnums
37

Man, this one's just baffling. Like, the structures and reasonably catchy hooks and everything are still there, this still has all the bones of a decently enjoyable DCFC project, but it's held back by the fact that basically every guitar on this thing sounds awful. Like, AWFUL. Whether they're compressed to the point that they're crunchier than a Pringle, or they're mixed so loud that you can't hear Gibbard's monotonous droning. Which is another thing, actually. He's still singing competently ... read more

80

Another definitely forgettable album, like Codes and Keys. I like Codes slightly better because of a more consistent track list. Kitsugi has a couple of my favorite DCFC songs, but it kinda feels to me like they're just dangling there, among a number of lackluster tracks. As the public track ratings suggest, this is another relatively frontloaded album, although I don't think the rest of the album is nearly as bad as the songs average ratings suggest. As a huge DCFC fan, I still like the album, ... read more

PoisonBow
70

Maybe the 2010s weren't as mediocre for Death Cab as I remember.

This is definitely a very light 7, but I actually think this album improves from Codes and Keys. The production is definitely flatter, and given that this was the first album where Chris Walla wasn't producing, that makes sense. However, I feel like the songs here overall are just a bit more consistent than that record. There are great cuts like "Black Sun" and "The Ghosts of Beverly Drive" that are true ... read more

RWBIIITheSecond
77

No Room in Frame - 8
Black Sun - 8
The Ghosts of Beverly Drive - 9
Little Wanderer - 9
You’ve Haunted Me All My Life - 8
Hold No Guns - 7
Everything’s a Ceiling - 8
Good Help (Is So Hard to Find) - 8
El Dorado - 7
Ingénue - 7
Binary Sea - 6

Overall Score: 77

Favorite: The Ghosts of Beverly Drive
Least Favorite: Binary Sea

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Added on: January 12, 2015