A-ha Hangs It Up After 25 Years

You may not have known they were still around, but chances are you still get “Take On Me” stuck in your head every once in a while. A-ha, the Norwegian band responsible for ridiculously catchy synth-pop songs of the ’80s, are bidding farewell after a 25-year stretch.

The break seems especially untimely in light of the band’s new album, Foot of the Mountain, their ninth studio to date, that was released earlier this year. The record earned top 10 spots in several countries, including Germany, the UK and their homeland of Norway, which appears to be the perfect ending for the trio.

“We’ve literally lived the ultimate boy’s adventure tale,” the band told the BBC in a statement. They are currently planning a farewell tour, after which they’ll dedicate their time to “other meaningful aspects of life, be it humanitarian work, politics, or whatever else.”

This doesn’t exclude the possibility of solo albums to come. Both frontman Morten Harket and guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy have tested these waters with varied success during their mid-’90s hiatus, and the group members wanted to assure their fans that nothing should be excluded from their respective futures. “We are retiring as a band, not as individuals.”

The A-ha’s final show is set for Dec. 4 in Oslo, Norway.

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