"Cath..." is the second single from Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....

's sixth studio album, Narrow Stairs

Narrow Stairs

Narrow Stairs is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. It was released on May 12, 2008, in the United Kingdom and on May 13, 2008, in the United States. The first single of the album was "I Will Possess Your Heart", released on March 18, 2008. The second single was...

. It was released on July 21, 2008 in the UK as a 7" single. While the song did not earn placement on many worldwide charts or the main U.S. pop chart

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, it did hit #10 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Music video

The music video of the song, directed by Autumn de Wilde

Autumn de Wilde

Autumn de Wilde is an American photographer best known for her portraiture and commercial work photography of musicians.-Early life:...

, is a unique turn for the band in that all four members mouth the words of the song, despite only Ben Gibbard

Ben Gibbard

Benjamin "Ben" Gibbard is an American musician known as a member of several successful indie rock bands. He is the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, and is also known for his project ¡All-Time Quarterback! and his first band, Pinwheel.-Personal life and career:Gibbard was...

 actually singing on the song. The video reflects the song's lyrics and the story they tell: A woman ("Cath," portrayed by Beth Riesgraf

Beth Riesgraf

Beth Jean Riesgraf is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Parker in the TNT TV series Leverage.Originally from Belle Plaine, Minnesota - Riesgraf is the youngest of six girls...

) is about to be wed to a "well-intentioned man," yet does not love him, still infatuated with a former love (portrayed by Lukas Haas

Lukas Haas

Lukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...

) watching the ceremony. It was inspired by Emily Bronte

Emily Brontë

Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...

's famous novel Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...

, reflecting Catherine Earnshaw

Catherine Earnshaw

Catherine Earnshaw, known as Catherine Linton after her marriage, is the main female protagonist of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights....

 and her torment over marrying Edgar Linton

Edgar Linton

Edgar Linton is a character in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights. His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw's husband. He resides at Thrushcross Grange and falls prey to Heathcliff's schemes for revenge against his family....

 (the "well-intentioned man") when she loves Heathcliff

Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)

Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an archetype of the tortured Romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him.Legend has stereotyped...

. The band is seen sitting in what seems to be a dressing room with a grassy floor. For promotion, the video was available for remixing on MTV's online video mixer.

Track listing

UK 7" vinyl

1. "Cath..."
2. "Styrofoam Plates" (Daytrotter Sessions)

U.S. promo CD single

1. "Cath..." (Radio edit)
2. "Cath..."

Chart positions

Chart (2008)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	10