NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - January 26, 2009) - Atlantic recording group Death Cab for Cutie has unveiled plans for a major U.S. tour. The Seattle-based band -- whose RIAA gold certified "NARROW STAIRS" is among 2008's most acclaimed albums -- will kick off their spring schedule on April 7th at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania (see below itinerary). The dates then continue through a May 6th show at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. Cold War Kids will be direct support in April, with Matt Costa taking over direct support for dates in May. Ra Ra Riot will be opening all shows on the tour. Exclusive fan club pre-sale begins January 28th and all other shows go on sale beginning the weekend of January 30th. Check local venues for more information.

In February, Death Cab will warm up for their coast-to-coast itinerary with a headline tour of Australia and Japan. They will then return to the U.S. in time for an eagerly anticipated performance at Miami's annual Langerado Music Festival, slated for Saturday, March 7th.

Released in May 2008, "NARROW STAIRS" made a stunning debut atop the Billboard 200, marking Death Cab's first-ever #1 record. The album went on to receive gold certification from the RIAA, marking sales exceeding 500,000. What's more, DCFC and "NARROW STAIRS" recently earned a pair of nominations for the upcoming 51st Annual Grammy Awards, for "Best Alternative Music Album" and "Best Rock Song," honoring the album's first single, "I Will Possess Your Heart."

"NARROW STAIRS" -- which follows 2005's Grammy-nominated, RIAA platinum-certified "PLANS" -- was ranked among the most-praised albums of 2008, placing high on a wide range of year-end polls. "A perfectly imperfect album," noted MTV.com in its "The Best Albums of 2008," "which is to say that it sounds very much like a band, setting up in a room and just letting it rip, and that makes it perhaps more compelling than 90 percent of the rock albums released this year."

"Dependability can be rock's worst enemy," observed Spin in its "40 Best Albums of 2008" ranking, "but Death Cab have made it an asset by adding savvy embellishments to their solid foundation of polished indie chime and downcast, evocative lyricism. Every album gets slightly more refined, with Ben Gibbard and Co. stretching their sound while still knowing when the gorgeous melancholy can speak for itself."

"NARROW STAIRS" was among Rolling Stone's "Readers' Top 30 Albums of 2008," while in its "33 Best Albums of 2008" tally, Blender hailed "NARROW STAIRS" for possessing "the most propulsive riffs of (Death Cab's) career." "A sonic feast," wrote Paste in its "Best of 2008," "The drama-building atmospherics... display a Radiohead-like shrewdness -- an appreciation for the perfect mix of instrumental textures, anchored by metronomic drumming."

The album came in at #5 on NPR's annual All Songs Considered poll, which suggested that though "'NARROW STAIRS' isn't Death Cab for Cutie's easiest album to get to know... it requires and rewards a bit more dissection."

Death Cab for Cutie is: Ben Gibbard: guitars, keyboards, vocals * Chris Walla: guitars, keyboards * Nick Harmer: bass * Jason McGerr: drums

        (TOUR ITINERARY BELOW)
         Death Cab for Cutie
            On Tour 2009
  4/7-29 w/Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot
   5/1-6 w/ Matt Costa and Ra Ra Riot

MARCH

7    Miami, FL         Langerado Festival

APRIL

7    Upper Darby, PA   Tower Theatre
8    Washington, DC    DAR Constitution Hall
9    Davidson, NC      John Belk Arena/Davidson College
10   Louisville, KY    Louisville Palace
11   Memphis, TN       Orpheum Theatre
12   Tulsa, OK         The Brady Theater
13   Omaha, NE         Holland Theatre
15   St. Paul, MN      Roy Wilkings Auditorium
17   Chicago, IL       Aragon Ballroom
18   East Lansing, MI  Breslin Events Center/
                       Michigan State University
19   Waukesha, WI      Van Male Fieldhouse/Carroll College
24   Spokane, WA       McCarthey Athletic Center/
                       Gonzaga University
25   Boise, ID         The Morrison Center
27   Sacramento, CA    Memorial Auditorium
29   San Diego, CA     RIMAC Arena/UC San Diego

MAY

1    Austin, TX        Austin Music Hall
2    New Orleans, LA   Contemporary Arts Center
4    Nashville, TN     Ryman Auditorium
5    Birmingham, AL    BJCC Concert Hall
6    Atlanta, GA       Fox Theatre