Fans of the indie band will encounter quite a change of style on Death Cab for Cutie’s latest album, “Narrow Stairs,” which was officially launched on May 12 in the U.K. and on May 13 in the U.S.

The band, which usually has bright and warm songs, explored its darker side this time. “Narrow Stairs” is more about the “Death” than the “Cutie”, and it was described by the Rolling Stone as "strangely compelling," while MTV declared it was "unquestionably the best thing that the group has ever done."

The seventh studio album of the band consists of 11 tracks and the first single of the album, “I Will Possess Your Heart” was released on March 18, 2008.

In October 2007, Chris Walla, the producer and guitarist of the band, said that the album "is in full swing; we're six songs in." He described it as “pretty weird and pretty spectacular,” creepy and heavy.

The album’s cover was created by designer EE Storey.

The band’s songs are usually about love, but this time the love is darker, impossible or heartbreaking. With the change of style, the band might lose some of the old fans and might gain some new ones.

Several of the songs on “Narrow Stairs” have literary or cultural themes. Some of them refer to writings of Jack Kerouac, the favorite author of vocal Ben Gibbard. In the band’s 2000 album, “We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes,” there is a song titled “Lowell, MA.” Lowell, Massachusetts is the birth place of Kerouac.

Death Cab for Cutie formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997, taking its name from a satirical song of the same title, written by Vivian Stanshall and performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band on their 1967 album, “Gorilla.”