Death Cab for Cutie’s “Plans” Lands at #4 on Billboard Top 200

“PLANS,” the new album from Atlantic recording group Death Cab for Cutie, has made a stunning chart debut, landing in the upper reaches of the Billboard 200 after its first week in national release. The Seattle-based band’s eagerly anticipated label debut entered the chart at #4, with first week sales of nearly 90,000 — a career best.

The spectacular achievement of “PLANS” was driven by a major press campaign, a popular lead single in “Soul Meets Body,” and frequent touring, not to mention the band’s intensely loyal fanbase. The album, which was also #1 at CMJ its first week, scored unprecedented digital sales success, with iTunes registering approximately 16% of the overall first week retail sales fueled by a compelling pre-order campaign and great storefront positioning. Death Cab was also prominently featured on MTVu and MTVu.com which gave the band a three pronged “Leak.” Fans could stream “PLANS” via MTVu.com and via their MTV wireless phones. In addition, MTVu.com for the first time did a live “Leak” called “Unveil” that allowed fans to stream one live song a day for the week leading up to album release.

Produced by Death Cab guitarist Chris Walla, “PLANS” follows the band’s 2003 breakthrough fourth album, “TRANSATLANTICISM.” The album has already received rapturous critical praise, from major publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Spin and Entertainment Weekly to name just a few. “Soul Meets Body,” the set’s anthemic first single, received an astounding 200,000 plays during its first week on the band’s MySpace.com page.

In other news Death Cab for Cutie completed a special benefit concert to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina on Wednesday, September 21st at Seattle’s the Showbox. The show included the band joined by fellow Seattleites Harvey Danger.

After heralding the release of “PLANS” with a number of summer concerts — including a sold-out performance at New York City’s Central Park Summerstage — Death Cab for Cutie are poised to hit the road for an extensive North American tour. The trek will kick off on October 3rd and 4th with a two night stand at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom, culminating seven weeks later with a pair of sold-out hometown dates at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre on November 18th and 19th (see attached itinerary). In addition, September 24th will see the quartet getting ready for the tour with a performance at Austin, Texas’ annual Austin City Limits Festival. The band will make its national television debut for “PLANS” with a performance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” on September 27th.

SEPTEMBER
24 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival

OCTOBER
3, 4 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
5 Walla Walla, WA Whitman College
6 Boise, ID Big Easy
7 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
8 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
10, 11 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue (All Ages)
12 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
13 Urbana, IL University Of Illinois
14 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theatre
15 Toronto, ONT Kool Haus
16 Montreal, QC Le Spectrum
17 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
19, 20 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
21 Carlisle, PA Dickinson College
22 Providence, RI Lupo’s At The Strand
23, 24 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
25 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
27 Raleigh, NC Disco Rodeo
28 Nashville, TN War Memorial Auditorium
29 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
30 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
31 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock Casino

NOVEMBER
4 Fort Worth, TX Ridglea Theater
5 Austin, TX Stubb’s Barbeque
8 Tempe, AZ Marquee