Which indie rock band released the 2003 album 'Chutes Too Narrow'?

The indie rock band that released the 2003 album Chutes Too Narrow was The Shins.

Chutes Too Narrow is The Shins’ second studio album, released by Sub Pop on October 21, 2003. The band was led by singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, whose project had begun in Albuquerque before developing into a full group. The album followed the influential debut Oh, Inverted World from 2001.

The record was produced by The Shins and Phil Ek, with sessions taking place partly in Mercer’s basement in Portland and at Avast! Recording in Seattle. Its cleaner, brighter production marked a development from the debut’s lo-fi character while preserving the band’s concise melodies and layered vocal harmonies. The title comes from a lyric in “Young Pilgrims.”

The album is often connected with the early-2000s indie-rock boom, but it should not be confused with releases by Rilo Kiley, The Walkmen, or Spoon. Those bands occupied related indie scenes, while Chutes Too Narrow is specifically a The Shins album. Critics received it warmly, and it helped establish the group as a major American indie act.