The Postal Service

The Postal Service
Ben Gibbard (left) and Jimmy Tamborello (right)
Background information
Origin	Seattle, Washington, United States
Genres	Indietronica indie pop electropop indie rock
Years active	2001–05, 2013
Labels	Sub Pop
Associated acts	Dntel, Death Cab for Cutie, Figurine, Headset
Website	postalservicemusic.net
Members	Ben Gibbard Jimmy Tamborello Jenny Lewis Laura Burhenn

The Postal Service was an American indie band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2001. The band consisted of vocalist Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie), producer Jimmy Tamborello (of Dntel and Headset), with Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) on background vocals.

The band released their debut album, Give Up, in 2003 on Sub Pop Records, to mostly positive reviews. The album reached number 114 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

The Postal Service remained largely inactive from 2005 until 2013, when they reunited for a tour, and released a re-issue of Give Up to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Laura Burhenn joined the lineup throughout the tour to provide additional vocals and instruments, with Jen Wood filling in for a few shows.

On August 3, 2013, Gibbard announced that the band would disband permanently after the last show of their reunion tour.

The group formed after Ben Gibbard contributed vocals for a song by Jimmy Tamborello called "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan", from the Dntel album Life Is Full of Possibilities. The song sparked an EP of remixes by other artists, such as Lali Puna, The Flaming Lips, Safety Scissors, Barbara Morgenstern and Superpitcher, and was so well-received that the two artists decided to further collaborate. The third member of the band, Jenny Lewis, lived in the same apartment complex as Tamborello, and would record temporary vocals for several tracks before eventually becoming a full-fledged member of the band, sharing vocals and instrumentation in their live shows.