Death Cab For Cutie Guitarist Chris Walla Leaves Band

Death Cab For Cutie’s guitar player Chris Walla has announced his plans to leave the band after their gig in Victoria next month.

Writing yesterday in The Stranger, Walla informed fans that the band have finished recording their eighth album, but he will be playing his last show with the group next month in Victoria, British Columbia.

“Deciding to leave the band was not, and is not, easy,” he commented. Walla has produced a number of Death Cab For Cutie albums, as well as records by Tegan & Sara, The Postal Service and The Decemberists. The band’s new album has been produced by Rich Costey (Frank Turner, Muse).

Walla wrote: “I think I long for the unknown. It might be that simple. I will miss being a quarter of this band, and will support whatever course Death Cab for Cutie chooses from here. I am profoundly grateful to Ben, Nick, and Jason, for the experiences that define my adult life. Truly grateful, beyond words. Thank you. I am also grateful to, and deeply humbled by, all of our fans. Without you, music would be mere ‘content’, and nothing could possibly be sadder than that. Thank you all, so dearly. We’ve just finished our eighth album, which is our first with an outside producer. That producer is a fellow named Rich Costey, and working with him in this capacity is one of the greatest joys of my professional life. Thank you, as well. There are so many others to whom I am grateful—our crew, our management, our families, the Atlantic, Barsuk and Elsinor labels, the Billions team. Thank you all.”

He continued: “Deciding to leave the band was not, and is not, easy. It’s really, really sad. I love my bandmates, and I’m proud of what we’ve done, and mercifully, those things don’t change with my departure. Moving forward, my plans are simply to continue making music, producing records, and erring on the side of benevolence and beauty whenever possible. Darkness may find me, but I shall never choose it.”