Song · Death Cab for Cutie
“The Sound of Settling” by Death Cab for Cutie
From the album Transatlanticism (2003)
“The Sound of Settling” by Death Cab for Cutie appears on 14 radio countdowns from 12 stations between 2004 and 2025. It was first released in 2003 on the album Transatlanticism. Its best result is #20 on the WBER Listener Countdown 2004. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #86 alternative song of 2004.
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"The Sound of Settling" nearly didn't make Transatlanticism. Ben Gibbard wrote it but couldn't stand it, uptempo songs being something he personally disliked, and he meant to throw it out. Guitarist Chris Walla, who also produced and recorded Death Cab for Cutie's fourth album, insisted it stay, and good thing: it's a bouncy indie-rock sprint carried by a wordless singalong in the chorus, with Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr and guest Rob Herbst supplying handclaps and foot stomps. John Goodmanson mixed it.
It came out as the album's second single on December 26, 2003, reaching number 84 in the UK, and soon turned up on film soundtracks and became the band's third song to land on The O.C. An acoustic demo surfaced on Barsuk's Transatlanticism Demos LP in 2013, marking the album's tenth anniversary.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 95 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2004 | 107 |
| 2004 | 39 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2004 | 91 |
| 2004 | 66 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2004 | 106 |
| 2004 | 48 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2004 | 101 |
| 2004 | 34 | WFNX Boston, MA | WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2004 | 100 |
| 2004 | 64 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 77 Songs of 2004 | 77 |
| 2004 | 20 | WBER Rochester, NY | WBER Listener Countdown 2004 | 227 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 83 | 96.5 The Buzz | 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the New Millennium | 96 |
| 2019 | 1032 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2019 | 580 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2022 | 216 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 278 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2025 | 683 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
| 2025 | 357 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
Also listed as: Sound of Settling; The Sound Of Settling.
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