The Maccabees Announce Plans To Split After 14 Years Together

British indie-rock outfit The Maccabees have announced their intention to part ways after 14 years as a band.

In a letter to their fans posted to their Facebook page, the band explained that the choice was an "incredibly difficult" but wholly amicable one, its members choosing to "go out on our own terms, at our creative peak and off the back of the best and biggest shows we have ever done".

"There have not been fallings out and we are grateful to say that we are not leaving the group behind as a divided force," they wrote. "It has been a rare and absolutely incredible time that we all feel very lucky to have shared.

"Love to anyone who has ever stood by our band, bought our records, come and seen us play, or cared and contributed in whatever capacity it may have been. We have always valued it immeasurably, tried to honour it as best we could and can only say thank you to you all very deeply and sincerely."

The Maccabees released their debut single, X-Ray, in 2005. However, it was their second single, Latchmere, which proved more of a breakthrough, paving the way for their debut album, Colour It In, to follow in 2007. The band released three further full-lengths during their tenure — Wall Of Arms (2009), Given To The Wild (2012) and Marks To Prove It (2015) — and 15 singles all up, a solid fistful of which saw decent chart results.

They were repeat visitors to Australia, most recently hitting our shores earlier this year on a headline tour. With any luck, we'll figure into the band's farewell plans — they're lining up some celebratory shows as a proper goodbye before calling it a day — but, by the same token, we wouldn't go getting our hopes up. At least we'll always have the memories — and whatever comes next.

"Though there are no concrete plans at this stage, we are all planning to continue making music," the band wrote. "We are excited about the future and intend to move on, with some sadness, but with appreciation, affection and huge pride at the music we have made and all that we have achieved together."

Read The Maccabees' letter below (and weep).