Death Cab for Cutie's "Transatlanticism": Story Behind the Album That Put Indie Rock on the Map Forever

In the early '00s, indie rock was still a largely underground affair. That isn't to say that there were no indie records making it to the mainstream if we look at cases like The Smiths or The Stone Roses.

However, notable indie artists with large fan bases like Pavement, Modest Mouse, and Sonic Youth, while no strangers to commercial success, were predominantly featured in college radio and weren't exactly dominating pop culture discourse.

And even though it's hard to attribute the moment when indie rock became the most mainstream form of guitar-driven music to a single album or artist, there is a candidate that undeniably changed the scene.

Death Cab for Cutie, already sporting an enviable underground reputation, used inner tensions and a newfound creative spirit to write their 4th album, "Transatlanticism".

The record was a critical and commercial hit, and it kickstarted a very particular brand of indie rock that ended up taking over the world, with ripples that are still felt in the mainstream today.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, we decided to dive into the making of this album, and what makes it so special that it was enough to put indie rock on the pop culture map.