Retirement Party Announce Breakup

Chicago pop-punk band Retirement Party have officially announced their breakup. The group, which formed in 2016, released a statement via social media on Monday stating that “some of our lives are going in different directions and it doesn’t feel right to try to continue the band at this moment.”

The group also announced the release of three new songs accompanied by a farewell tour, the dates of which will be announced on Wednesday. However, European tour dates the band had scheduled for June have been cancelled in light of the breakup.

“Making music together and getting to jump around on stage for y’all is something we’ll all cherish forever,” the band continued in their statement. “While we aren’t going everywhere on this tour, we hope we’ll get to have a proper farewell with as many of you as we can.”

The band first gained attention with their 2017 EP Strictly Speaking, followed by full-length albums Somewhat Literate in 2018 and Runaway Dog in 2020. They were featured on Paste’s “15 Chicago Bands You Need To Know” list in 2018, and were featured multiple times in our Best Songs of the Week lists.