The power in Wild Beasts' music has always been the drama, a dynamic seduced by complicated notions of sex and masculinity. Over 13 years and five albums, the English band has morphed from broody art-punk to, well, broody synth-pop, all the while finding beauty in dimly lit corners.
Yesterday, Wild Beasts announced that the band is breaking up, but there doesn't appear to be any drama, just a drive to move forward.
"Wild Beasts are coming to an end," they wrote via Twitter. "Our hearts and minds have been devoted to the band since we were teenagers. We've created something quite of our own and built a body of work which we stand by as heartfelt and true. The four of us have decided for our own reasons and in our own ways that it is now time to leave this orbit. We're care takers to something precious and don't want to have it diminish as we move forward in our lives. Thank you for your love and energy and for helping us make it what it is. We consider ourselves remarkably fortunate to have lived out this dream. Before we go, we'd like to celebrate with you."
Those celebrations include a few final live dates in the U.K., and one last EP, Punk Drunk And Trembling. You can listen to the title track below, a sensuous piece of electro-pop that arcs psychedelic at its climax.
Punk Drunk And Tremblingcomes outdigitallyon Oct. 20 and physically Nov. 17 viaDomino.
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