Time and time again, 2016 has shown us just how hard it is to keep multiple high-level talents in the same band for long. Last night, more bad news came from Chairlift’s gig at Brookyln’s Good Room — the heavenly synth-pop duo Chairlift is splitting up.
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Mashable points out that Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly made the unexpected announcement onstage, which was captured by a few attendees. Says Polachek, “It’s been a wild year. We put out Moth in January and now we’re back home playing again for you guys. We wanted to announce that in Spring of next year Chairlift will be playing our final shows. We’re going to be announcing dates early next year.”
To a chorus of disheartened fans, both she and Wimberly express their gratitude and admit they’re about to start crying, evoking a very appropriate song on their 2016 album.
Those 2017 dates haven’t been announced yet, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re looking to send off Polachek, Wimberly and their live collaborators in person.
Chairlift followed up its live goodbye with a heartfelt message on its official Instagram account (see below), in which Polachek says she’ll be moving on as a solo artist, Wimberly as a full-time producer.
Moth was arguably Chairlift’s best of its three-album run — high praise considering the dazzling display they put on with 2012’s Something. Tracks like “Moth to the Flame” and “Ch-Ching” are some of the most alluring slices of futuristic R&B we’ve heard lately; there’s good reason Beyoncé tapped Polachek to sing on her 2013 self-titled album and Wimberly’s been a studio collaborator for the likes of Solange and Blood Orange. (Polachek already released a solo album, under the name Ramona Lisa, back in 2014.) Their work as Chairlift will be missed, but there’s plenty to be excited for in their burgeoning solo careers.
For more, check out Chairlift’s interview on Billboard’s Alt In Our Stars Podcast, along with a choice cut from each of their three albums, beginning with the song that soundtracked an Apple ad and helped put them on the map back in 2008.