Chameleonic British indie-rock unit Wild Beasts has broken up, according a letter they posted to social media today.
“The four of us have decided, for our own reasons and in our own ways, that it is now time to leave this orbit,” the band wrote. “We’re care takers to something precious and don’t want to have it diminish as we move forwards in our lives.” They intimated that news of farewell shows may be on the way.
The four-piece band formed in 2004 in Cumbria. They went on to release 5 LPs through Domino Records, along with several EPs. Their debut single, 2006’s “Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants,” was a striking, glam-influenced introduction to their style, characterized by lead singer Hayden Thorpe’s wild, swooping falsetto and verbose, witty lyrics. Their mellower, pop-forward last three albums, 2011’s Smother, 2014’s Present Tense and last year’s Boy King, were all Top 20 albums on the UK charts.
Read Spin’s 2014 Q&A with Wild Beasts here, and the band’s farewell missive below.
— Wild Beasts (@WildBeasts) September 25, 2017
