Electronic-indie duo The Postal Service updated their official website with the above image recently, hinted at some sort of big news in 2013 for the project consisting of Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and Dntel, aka Jimmy Tamborello. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the follow up to the group’s critically acclaimed 2003 debut, Give Up, but until now, there has been no signs that The Postal Service would even perform again. However, now Billboard is reporting that Sub Pop Records will re-release Give Up next month to celebrate the album’s ten year anniversary, and that the duo is already booked to perform at this year’s Coachella, with other dates reportedly in the works.
Well that’s pretty fucking cool, if not completely out of nowhere. Gibbard’s been saying in interviews for years that a new Postal Service album didn’t look like it was going to happen, and between Death Cab For Cutie and Dntel it seemed like this was doomed to be a one time thing. I can’t believe it’s been ten years since Give Up, it was such a big album when it was released and got so much play – ‘Such Great Heights’ is such a memorable song – it’s somewhat shocking that the guys never released a follow up. There’s no word on any new material being reported, and there’s a good chance that the guys play a few dates to support the album re-release, collect their money, and go back to their other projects,  but we can hope, can’t we?
Back in October, Gibbard essentially ranted to Spinner, complaining about fans desire for a new Postal Service album, saying, among other things “People don’t get what the Postal Service was meant to be. It was meant to be for fun. And just because it was so successful doesn’t mean that we have to make another one. If there’s any frustration I have with being asked that question all the time, I wish I could articulate the difference between a band and a project. A band is a living, breathing organism of people who are invested in each other in a very real way… I’ve done a lot of things and I haven’t followed up on any of them.”