Benjamin Gibbard, Former Lives

As the frontman for Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Gibbard is known for lyrics that speak right to your broken emo heart. He’s also known for various side projects like the intricate electro-pop of the Postal Service and collaborations with Feist and Jay Farrar. All that output, and there’s still more to come from this prolific songwriter.

But Benjamin Gibbard (as he prefers to be known solo) doesn’t consider his first solo album, Former Lives, to be a new direction or a collection of leftovers that didn’t work with Death Cab, as he told Stereogum in July.

He calls the collection a “mixed bag” that spans his career and doesn’t necessarily follow a theme. He’s letting each song do its thing, be it acoustic or with a little mariachi thrown in—in other words, Gibbard isn’t overthinking it.