The Washington, D.C., punk outfit Priests announced they are splitting up for the “foreseeable future” with their last show set to take place New Year’s Eve in New York City.
The band announced the hiatus on Twitter, writing, “We aren’t in a place to write another album together right now, and feel like each of us would be better served pursuing individual projects separately for the time being. We’ve come to this decision collectively and feel really good about it. We’re looking forward to being friends and partners in Sister Polygon, the record label we run together, and not bandmates for a while. We’re not closing off the option of playing together in the future at some point if it feels right, but not for the foreseeable future.”
We’re taking a break from the band. Thank you for everything. Our last show together for the foreseeable future is the last night of the decade https://t.co/GQsp3ZKtFG come say hello (2020) & wave goodbye with us x pic.twitter.com/SxI9f95JvZ
— P R I E S T S (@PRIESTS_TWEET) December 12, 2019
Priests formed in 2012 and over the next few years, released a string of singles and tapes via their label, Sister Polygon. Their breakthrough came in 2014 with the EP, Bodies and Control and Money and Power, which Rolling Stone recommended for anyone “in the market for emotionally urgent, politically pissed-off, wildly funny rants in the style of Bikini Kill or Delta 5.”
Priests’ critically acclaimed debut, Nothing Feels Natural, arrived in 2017. That same year, however, founding bassist Taylor Mulitz left the band, and although the split was amicable, it left Priests uncertain about their future and direction. They ultimately pushed through the turmoil to release their second LP, the equally well-received The Seduction of Kansas, in April (it landed at Number 49 on Rolling Stone‘s best albums of 2019 list).
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In their farewell note, Priests thanked their fans, saying, “Your support and belief in our music helped us hold it together when we weren’t sure we could.” They also thanked their larger team and others they worked with over the years, saying, “Priests has never ever been simply the four people playing on a stage. It is very much an ecosystem of human interdependence and a variety of different life experiences.”
In closing, Priests wrote: “This is a change that feels right for us, like the best way to honor all the work we’ve done and the support our fans have given our band. To keep going when our heads and hearts are not in the place to do so feels like a disservice to the band and all the people that have helped us along the way. So instead, we’ll bid a very warm and celebratory farewell as this decade ends, and welcome whatever the next chapter may bring each of us together and separately.”
Priests final show will take place December 31st at Rough Trade in New York City.