The Postal Service is an indie electropop band based in Seattle, Washington, United States, which started life as a side project for singer Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel, Headset and Figurine. The group formed, in 2001, after Gibbard contributed vocals for a song on Dntel's album Life Is Full of Possibilities called (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan.
Dntel is the solo project of Jimmy Tamborello. Dntel is known for mixing glitch and cut-up electronic techniques with instruments like acoustic guitars, accordions, and symphonic instruments. Dntel is also the project that spawned The Postal Service. He started working as Dntel, pronounced Din-tell, in 1994. A collection of tracks created between 1995-1997 (Early Works For Me If It Works For You) was released on the Phthalo label in 1999, followed by the release of an EP recorded in 1994 (Something Always Goes Wrong) in 2000.