Death From Above 1979 Officially Split
Friday August 04, 2006 @ 07:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Death From Above 1979 (photo by Richard Beland)

Toronto duo Death From Above 1979 have called an end to their short-lived but successful stint as a band.

Bassist Jesse F. Keeler admits on the band's website that DFA have been beyond repair for quite some time:

"I'm sure by now most of you assume the band isn't happening anymore since there are no shows, no work on a new album, etc. Well. I wanted to let you know that your assumptions are correct. We decided to stop doing the band… Actually we decided that almost a year ago."

Keeler explains that he and drummer Sebastien Grainger set aside the impending split to finish all of their scheduled tour dates, so the people that worked for them wouldn't be left out in the cold. He admits that they both held out hope for a reconciliation during that time, but it didn't happen.

"Over the last 3 years of touring, Sebastien and I had grown apart to such an extent that the only real time we spoke was just before we would play and during interviews. We both changed so much that the people we were by the end of it, probably wouldn't have been friends if they were to meet for the first time again."

Keeler goes on to say that even though DFA were only together for six years, the duo achieved everything he had hoped.

"We started as a punk band with pop aspirations and we met every goal we set for ourselves. A few weeks ago, the album finally went gold in Canada and that was the final mark I really wanted to reach. It was my goal to see how big we could become without ever compromising or changing what we did right from the start."

In addition to going gold at home, DFA's only full-length album, You're A Woman I'm A Machine, has sold 175,000 copies worldwide, according to Last Gang Records. Its success prompted this year's release of the Romance Bloody Romance remix disc and led Chart to name Death From Above its 2005 Artist Of The Year.

While Grainger hasn't yet announced his plans for the future, Keeler is busy basking in the success of his MSTRKRFT DJ project.

In an interview with an Australian radio station, Keeler announced that it's likely that he'll play bass on the upcoming Queens Of The Stone Age album.

"We are saddened by the announcement, but look forward to continued success with both Jesse and Sebastien individually," says Last Gang president Chris Taylor.

—Scott Bryson