Gold Rush

Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard was born in the Washington city of Bremerton and has spent much of his adult life in Seattle. Even when he moved to Los Angeles in 2009, after marrying actress Zooey Deschanel, he kept a house in Seattle, and Gibbard moved back there after his 2011 divorce. This requiem for an ever-disappearing urban skyline was inspired by the rapid changes to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, due to the influx of workers for companies like Amazon, making it feel increasingly foreign to the Death Cab singer. Gibbard explained how he'd come to realize that so many of his memories are tied to the lay out of the metropolis. "When that geography changes, it's as if you're not only coming to terms with the passage of time, but it's as if you're losing those people and that time in your life all over again," he said. "Cities are in constant flux, and I'm not claiming victimhood in this, but the speed at which Seattle is changing, and people of color and creative communities are being pushed out, is alarming."

Gibbard has touched on the subject of geographic memories before in his music. His 2012 solo single "Teardrop Windows," for instance, was inspired by his feeling of homesickness for Seattle after moving to Los Angeles, especially the city's Smith Tower.

Death Cab for Cutie made their debut television performance of the single on the June 21, 2018, episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. They followed that performance with a headline set during Seattle's Paramount Theatre 90th Anniversary Celebration during which they performed this song.