Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard honours Richard Swift with new single

Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard has announced the release of a new covers single in memory of late musician and producer Richard Swift.

In July of 2018, the world of music was shocked to learn of the death of Richard Swift. 41-year-old Swift had spent much of his life as a prolific musician and producer, working with acts such as The Shins, and Nathaniel Rateliff, and had served as a touring member of The Black Keys.

Soon after his passing, Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard performed a live cover of Swift’s ‘Most Of What I Know’ in honour of the late musician. “There are very few people who I would call a genius, and I really believe Richard was one of those people,” Gibbard explained at the time.

Now, ahead of their Australian tour, Ben Gibbard has announced the release of a limited-edition vinyl single that was recorded with Richard Swift.

As Pitchfork notes, The Swift Sessions will be released on Record Store Day next month, and is set to feature two songs culled from seperate recording sessions with Swift.

The first track is a cover of The Monkees’ ‘Me & Magdalena’, which Gibbard wrote for the band’s 2016 album, Good Times!. Meanwhile, the second track is a cover of Teenage Fanclub’s ‘The Concept’, which Gibbard previously tackled when covering the band’s 1991 album, Bandwagonesque, in full.

“All of us who knew and loved Richard Swift are still reeling from the loss,” Ben Gibbard explained in an accompanying statement. “Thankfully, he left us with a large body of work to remember him by.”

“And while I wish it were under other circumstances, I am beyond proud to share some of the work we did together. He was a brilliant human being the likes of which I have rarely encountered in my career.”

The Swift Sessions will be released on April 13th, while Death Cab For Cutie kick off their Aussie tour tomorrow.