Ekko Astral announce indefinite hiatus
After the band’s internal and external conflicts were made public, the D.C. punk band is calling it quits.
Photo by Alec Pugliese
Ekko Astral, who burst onto the scene in 2024 with their stellar debut album pink balloons, announced today that they are taking an indefinite hiatus, according to Rolling Stone. The break comes following what the band describes as infighting between former and current bandmates during the preparation of their second album, the beltway is burning, which is now offically shelved. Tensions in the band reached a boiling point when bassist/vocalist Jae Holzman filed a peace order against then-drummer Miri Tyler, claiming the latter had threatened her and barring her from future contact; Tyler left the band in November 2025. Social media users accused Holzman of endangering Miri through the courts. Their label, Topshelf, dropped them out of nowhere, leading to the band’s decision to release the beltway is burning independently.
Holzman also revealed that the publicity surrounding the band’s internal conflicts led to its downfall. She and guitarist Liam Hughes will be playing two farewell shows—one in New York and one in Washington, D.C.—this August, with all benefits from the D.C. show going to funding trans health services. The New York concert will be free. Ekko Astral will then retire their name and return to the studio, attempting to move past the group’s dissolution by taking new, independent creative directions: Hughes with Gus Mirabella, and Holzman with a group of fellow trans women.
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