By Chad Taylor
soundcheck@dmcityview.com

Death Cab For Cutie headlines the final day of the 80/35 Music Festival, Saturday, July 7 at 9 p.m. For full main stage lineup and pass information, check out www.80-35.com.

Easily the most consistently successful band to come out of Seattle since the grunge rock movement of the early ’90s, Death Cab for Cutie’s work is built upon a foundation of Ben Gibbard’s plaintive vocals and the band’s trademark lyrical introspection. The results of that introspection are a series of albums that are as much a reflection of where the band has been as they are the result of where the band is going.

“After (2003’s) ‘Transatlanticism,’ we pretty much went on a three-and-a-half-year tour,” said drummer Jason McGerr over the phone from Seattle. “There was a lot going on with us personally and professionally during that time, and (going into 2005’s “Plans”) we had to kind of say yes to a lot of things. So “Narrow Stairs” (2007) was pretty cathartic. It’s very fast, very live, and it was sort of our way of just making something without any expectations to meet.”

“Plans” also marked an important transition for the band: moving from an independent label to their current home with Atlantic Records.

“Artistically, it wasn’t really a dramatic change,” admitted McGerr. “Since we’d had really good success as an indie, we were kind of a known commodity. So there was kind of a mutual trust going into it.”

That mutual trust meant that since Atlantic knew what it could expect from the band artistically, they were more inclined to use a hands-off approach to the group’s albums.

“In many ways, it feels like an indie (label),” said McGerr. “Almost all of the people we started working with when we signed are still there, which is rare for a big label. It’s felt like a family for us.”

And while the band’s Atlantic offerings —“Plans,” “Narrow Stairs” and last year’s “Codes and Keys” — haven’t quite reached the rarified highs of “Transatlanticism,” there’s no doubt that both the label and the band have room to be pleased with the arrangement.

While 2012 marks Death Cab’s first trip to 80/35, the band is no stranger to large festivals. From Coachella to South By Southwest, from festivals in Ireland and Germany to Bumbershoot in their own Seattle backyard, the feeling of playing in front of thousands of people in an outdoor festival is something the band revels in each time.

“We’re constantly pinching ourselves,” McGerr said. “To get to share the stage with some of the huge acts that we have is an honor we never take for granted.”

Sting once said he preferred playing large festivals because when you play to a much smaller crowd, it becomes more and more imperative to engage with each person. It’s a sentiment that McGerr echos.

“When you’re in a smaller venue, it’s easier to see each person and know if you’re doing your job or not. With (a festival) crowd, it’s kind of a more relaxed atmosphere.”

Ease of performance notwithstanding, Death Cab relishes the opportunity to play to a festival crowd, and the band looks forward to headlining 80/35. For his part, McGerr hopes the band can satisfy its core audience while entertaining new listeners just as well.

Whether it’s the band’s first appearance at a festival or a venue they’ve played a hundred times before, Death Cab’s expectations for themselves and their show remain the same.

“We always shoot high.” CV