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Down goes another Portland institution. This time, though, it's not a bar or a music venue but one of the city's best—and longest-running—bands.
Today, power-pop heavyweights the Thermals announced in a series of tweets that they are formally disbanding.
"After 15 years and 7 records, we feel our band has reached far beyond our initial expectations and goals, and are stepping away from it while we still cherish it," the band wrote.
Singer-guitarist Hutch Harris and bassist Kathy Foster formed the Thermals in 2004 as an offshoot of their lo-fi indie-folk duo, Hutch and Kathy. Several other members cycled through the group before drummer Westin Glass joined in 2009. Shortly after forming, the band signed to Sub-Pop, and in 2006 released their most celebrated record, The Body, the Blood, the Machine, which Pitchfork declared one of the best albums of the 2000s. The Thermals' released what turns out to be their swan song, We Disappear, in 2016.
The breakup doesn't come as a complete surprise. Last year, Harris announced his intention to stop touring, saying, "I want to do more with my life." Other members have become increasingly involved in different projects: Foster and Glass have their punk band, Hurry Up, and Foster is readying a new project called Roseblood. In the last few years, Harris has tried his hand at standup comedy and has been producing records recently for several local bands, including Summer Cannibals, whose leader, Jessica Boudreaux, served as a touring member of the Thermals.
"We traveled further, soared higher and played louder than we ever dreamed," the band tweeted, "and look forward to a new chapter in our lives, our art, and our friendship."
More on the Thermals:
Unraveling the Thermals: Just What Is Up With Portland's New Rock Sensation?
Watch the Thermals Open for Bernie Sanders at Moda Center.