Just days after Thrice announced plans to go on hiatus, New York post-hardcore quintet Thursday have also decided to announce that they are to take an extended break.
"Yup. Yesterday Thrice, today Thursday. Crazy coincidence for two bands that have led such parallel and intersecting lives," says the band. "We would've spaced our announcement out and given the dust a chance to settle but we are about to play a bunch of shows and we didn't want anyone to miss the chance to see us one more time, so here it goes...
"If you're reading this long version of our statement, you've probably had some interaction with Thursday. We've been a band for thirteen years. We've played an uncountable number of shows, ranging from living rooms to stadiums. We've talked to every Zine, blog, Daily, Weekly, Monthly periodical... We've talked to every College, Commercial and Public Radio Station and sometimes we just hung out on the street talking to strangers.
"Maybe we met you," they add. "Maybe we worked together somewhere. Maybe you saw us or heard us with friends. Whatever the case may be, we owe you thanks. You've allowed us to be a band for thirteen years, to travel the world, to make records, to meet all of the people we've grown to love. And to open for our idols, work with our heroes, employ our friends (the best crew around) and see our dreams made real.
"This year, Thursday has had so much to celebrate: our new record, No Devolución, came out ten years, to the week, after the record that was to become our touchstone: Full Collapse. To have one record still being celebrated a decade after it's release and another to be met with such critical acclaim was really more than we ever could've imagined. We just wanted to play basement shows in New Brunswick. It's funny... That sounds like a well-worn line now but it's absolutely the truth.
"Well, if you've been touched by our music or our dedication or our embarrassingly out-of-fashion sincerity, then this is for you, friend: thank you for letting us make No Devolución. We hope you've heard it. We say 'beg, borrow or steal... music is an idea... ideas are free' but we encourage you to support our fantastically sweet and hardworking label, Epitaph, by buying it if you can afford to.
"Despite the fantastic year that the band has enjoyed, creatively, things haven't been as easy for us on a personal level. Without diving into detail, it's fair to say that this year has been an endless series of personal difficulties. We haven't had any falling out and are all still close. I'm sure that we will continue to create, in some capacity, together.
"We've talked about turning Thursday into something else: a non-profit, a band that only records sporadically, a collection of other projects... Underneath it all, the personal circumstances involved make it impossible to continue Thursday in the spirit that has made it special. So, we stop. For now, at least."
The band will kick off a 15-date U.S. tour in New York on November 23.
a great new album