Ben Gibbard, the main figurehead behind the influential emo outfit Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service, has released a new solo song titled “Proxima B,” which was released digitally today alongside a B-Side containing a cover of Minor Threat’s “Filler.”

“Proxima B,” is a grunge like alternative rock song, with pristine vocals and steady guitar lines complementing the catchy chorus. His cover of “Filler” is a smoother stripped down piano ballad, also highlighting Gibbard’s voice as emotionally sings through the track.

Gibbard explained that “Proxima B” was originally intended for his upcoming spring tour, which had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both of these tracks will be featured on a 7″ and a cassette tape, which can be ordered here.

“It’s about a planet that was discovered deep, deep in the cosmos, called Proxima B,” Gibbard excplained. “The three things you need to know about Proxima B to understand the song are: One, there’s a planet called Proxima B that they think has water on it. It’s somewhat Earth-like. Secondly, it orbits the star called Centauri. And three, there’s been a lot of talk of ‘Ooh, maybe we can get there at some point.’ So I wrote this song in response to that.”

This latest single follows the song “Life In Quarantine” which was released back in March as a stand-alone single. The artist also covered “I’m So Tired,” “For No One” and “You Won’t See Me” during a recent All Beatles-covers livestream. Gibbard will be performing at the All In WA: A Concert for COVID-19 Relief virtual benefit a week from now.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat