Ben Gibbard Says The O.C. Was Death Cab for Cutie’s Ticket from Bleach to Nevermind Status

Death Cab for Cutie were one of many indie rock bands that found an unexpected gateway to a wider audience through The O.C., but that newfound popularity came with a somewhat predictable side effect. During an appearance on 2004: The Year Indie Rock Broke, frontman Ben Gibbard recalled how being written into the teen drama’s plot expanded their audience substantially but also left many loyalists disgruntled. The growing pains that ensued were hardly unprecedented in their line of work, where wider exposure still comes at the expense of credibility. Find Death Cab for Cutie Tickets The group was referenced multiple times in the series as lead character Seth Cohen’s favorite band, with their songs “A Movie Script Ending” and “A Lack of Color” appearing in the first season. The band subsequently made a cameo on the show, where they can be seen performing “Title and Registration” and “The Sound of Settling” at a concert venue. The series introduced an entire generation of television viewers to music they might otherwise have missed, and played a key role in bringing wider recognition to several bands that would go on to become household names. “You have this odd dynamic at the shows, w...