"Cath..." is a song by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...

, the second single from their sixth studio album, ''

Narrow Stairs ''Narrow Stairs'' is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie, released on May 12, 2008 in the United Kingdom and on May 13, 2008, in the United States, on Atlantic and Barsuk Records. Four singles were released for the albu ...

'', released on July 21, 2008, in the United Kingdom as a 7" single. The song did not earn placement on many worldwide charts or the main U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop chart, but it managed to reach number ten on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Music video

The music video of the song was directed by

Autumn de Wilde Autumn de Wilde (born October 21, 1970) is an American photographer and film director best known for her portraiture and commercial work photography of musicians, as well as her music video works. In 2020 she directed her first feature film, ''E ...

. The video reflects the song's lyrics, and the story they tell: A woman named "Cath" (portrayed by

Beth Riesgraf Beth Jean Riesgraf (born August 24, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is known for her portrayal of Parker on the TNT television series '' Leverage'' (2008–2012) and the revival '' Leverage: Redemption'' which streams ...

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

Lukas Haas Lukas Daniel Haas (born April 16, 1976) is an American actor and musician. His acting career has spanned four decades, during which he has appeared in more than 50 feature films and a number of television shows and stage productions. Early life ...

) who watches the ceremony. The video was inspired by

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, ''Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poet ...

's famous novel ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent r ...

'', reflecting

Catherine Earnshaw Catherine Earnshaw is a fictional character and the female protagonist of the 1847 novel ''Wuthering Heights'' written by Emily Brontë. Catherine is one of two children to Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, the original tenants of the Wuthering Heights est ...

and her torment over marrying

Edgar Linton Edgar Linton is a fictional character in Emily Brontë's 1847 novel ''Wuthering Heights''. His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw Catherine Earnshaw is a fictional character and the female protagonist of the 1847 novel ''Wutherin ...

(the "well-intentioned man") when she loves Heathcliff. The band is occasionally shown sitting in what seems to be a dressing room with a grassy floor, with all four members mouthing the lyrics to the song. For promotion, the video was available for remixing on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's online video mixer.

Track listing

UK 7" vinyl #"Cath..." #"Styrofoam Plates" (Daytrotter Sessions) U.S. promo CD single #"Cath..." (Radio edit) #"Cath..."

Charts

References

2008 singles Death Cab for Cutie songs Songs written by Ben Gibbard 2008 songs Atlantic Records singles {{2000s-rock-song-stub