Arguably one of the most formidable indie outfits around, Death Cab For Cutie have earned themselves esteemed global kudos. Spawning many a doting admirer, they’ve returned to current musical consciousness armed with their sixth album, Narrow Stairs, and a coinciding number one slot in the US charts. Nick Harmer, bassist for the band, takes some time out to motor through all things DCFC as well as divulge his peculiar interests in Alice In Wonderland memorabilia, comic book creations and 1950s toasters.
“I was in a thrift store when I was a kid and there was a toaster sitting on a shelf and it was shiny and chrome and it looked really pretty to me somehow,” muses Nick, who reveals his curious obsession from a Seattle hotel room. “I thought, ‘I just have to have that I don’t know why’, and so I pick them up here and there when I come across them when they’re in good shape. And then, family members and friends know that I have an eye for it so people will find them and send them to me as well. I don’t have a huge collection but I’ve got a few. I just think that there’s something about the design of them that I really like.”
Along with finely constructed kitchenware and an avid interest in the likes of Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men and Wolverine comic character creations, Nick additionally offers the most intriguing piece of confessional information as he delves into the details of his most prized Alice In Wonderland possession.
“I have an old, old version of Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. It’s sort of a colourised version when the drawings by Tenniel were available in colour. So that’s pretty neat! My mom got me that one year for a Christmas which I really liked.”
After many years in the music industry and with a finely carved and undeniably notable reputation, Nick’s confessions continue; admitting that nerves still grip hold with the release of new Death Cab For Cutie works.
“I get nervous because I really care about how people receive our music. I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I just don’t care what people think. It’s not like I go online and I’m reading all the reviews and blogs and all that kind of stuff… The people who have been fans of our band for all of these years - I just want them to enjoy the music that we make. So I do care and I do get nervous!”
And what of their acclaimed success?
“I never really thought that music was going to be a career for me! I thought it would be really fun to try it for a while. I never thought for a second that it was definitely going to happen. Even to this day I thank my lucky stars that I can do it for just another month or another week, you know. I still don’t really feel like it’s something that I get to do for the rest of my life. It’s been a big part of my life so far but I mean music, entertainment is a very tumultuous weird place sometimes, you never know where you stand from one place to the next. So it’s good not to take any of it for granted.”
Renowned for such truths as their name coming from a song performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band in The Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour, as well as their animal activist involvement, they’re also notorious Pixies enthusiasts. Having literally wept at one of the Boston band’s concerts, Nick passionately reminisces about the moment he met his idols.
“We played one show with them. We had a reunion tour here in the States and we played a show in Oregon and it was the Pixies and it was us and The Decemberists. It was such a fantastic bill and it was all us friends, and everyone was there and the Pixies were headlining. I mean, I still have the poster framed in my living room. It was just one of those moments where you just never thought that your life was long enough that you would get a chance to meet your heroes. It was phenomenal! I didn’t say really much of anything. I was just kind of floored. I couldn’t really believe it was happening.”
With discussions of adoring devotees flowing readily, Nick dives into conversation about Seth Cohen from The OC and the character’s obsessive admiration for Death Cab For Cutie.
“It was actually just a decision that the writers made, I think. They approached us about using some of our music on the show. We were kind of licensing our songs to lots of different shows and the writers I think took a lot of liberty at that point about writing our band into the show and making the character a big fan. It was nothing that we did on our part for sure. It just sort of happened. It was pretty funny!”
Narrow Stairs is out now through Warner.