About
What started as a mail-based collaboration between Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard and Dntel producer Jimmy Tamborello became one of the most unlikely crossover success stories of the early 2000s. The name came from their actual working method — the two exchanged recordings through the postal service, with Tamborello sending instrumental tracks from Los Angeles to Gibbard in Seattle, who would add vocals and melodies before mailing them back. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley also contributed, giving the project an extra layer of indie credibility.
Musically, The Postal Service sits in that sweet spot between electronic beats and earnest indie pop songwriting. Tamborello's programmed synths and glitchy beats provide the backbone while Gibbard's confessional, melodic vocals keep things emotionally grounded. It's electronic music with a beating heart — accessible enough for mainstream radio but layered enough to reward close listening.
Their sole studio album, Give Up, released in 2003, became one of Sub Pop's best-selling records ever and practically defined a certain strain of mid-2000s indie sensibility. Songs like Such Great Heights and The District Sleeps Alone Tonight turned up everywhere from TV commercials to wedding playlists. The band reunited in 2013 for Give Up's tenth anniversary, proving the record's appeal had genuinely endured.
