Alternative Press teamed up with Death Cab for Cutie for exclusive vinyl of I Built You a Tower, limited to 500. Head to the AP Shop to grab yours.
Death Cab for Cutie have released “Punching the Flowers,” the latest single from their upcoming album, I Built You a Tower. The song was inspired by a real-life moment of a toddler having a tantrum and hitting flowers, which the band turned into a metaphor about feeling trapped by something beautiful.
“‘Punching the Flowers’ is a song about stagnation and the feeling of being imprisoned by The Known,” vocalist Ben Gibbard says. “And about the damage done when someone ventures deeper into the unknown.”
Read more: Death Cab for Cutie’s ultimate summer playlist
I Built You a Tower marks Death Cab for Cutie’s return to independent music after 20 years with Atlantic. Produced by John Congleton, the album was shaped during a demanding period for the band and Gibbard’s own personal struggles, which influenced the album’s themes.
Death Cab for Cutie will embark on a North American tour throughout the summer with a headline set at Bumbershoot festival in Seattle before performing across the U.K. and Europe later this fall.
Watch the video for “Punching The Flowers” and see their 2026 tour dates below.
Death Cab For Cutie 2026 tour dates
05/29 – Denver, CO @ Outside Days
07/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ Armory
07/11 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre
07/12 – Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater
07/14 – Cincinnati, OH @ MegaCorp Pavilion
07/15 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion
07/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts
07/18 – Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC
07/19 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Amphitheatre
07/21 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
07/22 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park
07/24 – St. Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre
07/25 – Bentonville, AR @ The Momentary
07/26 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Harrah’s Stir Cove
07/28 – Sandy, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater
07/29 – Sandy, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater
07/31 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
08/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
08/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
08/04 – San Diego, CA @ Gallagher Square at Petco Park
08/06 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater a
08/07 – Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
08/09 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
09/16 – Dublin, IE @ 3Olympia Theatre
09/19 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
09/20 – Edinburgh, UK @ Corn Exchange
09/21 – Gateshead, UK @ The Glasshouse
09/23 – Bristol, UK @ The Prospect Building
09/25 – London, UK @ Troxy
09/29 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg
09/30 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
10/01 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
10/03 – Paris, FR @ Élysée Montmartre
