10 bands from the late 2000s who broke up way too soon
There’s nothing more devastating than a band breakup. If you’ve been invested in the alternative music scene for more than a day, you probably know that feeling all too well. If not, then it’s just a matter of time…
We’ve been fortunate enough to follow a number of our favorite 2000s scene outfits through long-lasting tenures. Bands such as All Time Low, Mayday Parade and Paramore have carried on confidently. Others emerged at the peak of the scene, only to dissipate soon after.
Read more: QUIZ: Which 2000s scene queen are you the most like?
Here are 10 bands from the late 2000s that left the scene way too soon.
The Bigger Lights
We’ll start with a particularly soul-crushing one. Remember when the Bigger Lights dropped their self-titled album at the turn of the decade? Our hopes for the 2010s had never been higher. Unfortunately, their 2011 Battle Hymn EP would be the last release we got from them before they called it quits four years into their making. At least we’ve got the Fiction Fever EP to remember them by, too, but still… Ouch.
The Venetia Fair
The Venetia Fair took the Panic! At The Disco theatricality that we knew and loved and infused it with an exhilarating dose of post-hardcore aggression. No surprise, the Warped Tour crowd was quick to down that particular cocktail. They debuted on the scene in 2009 with The Circus and compiled a masterful catalog from there. Unfortunately, the last EP we got from them was their 2013 covers effort, Basically Just Does Karaoke. The band formally announced their breakup in 2015, just two days short of the EP’s two-year anniversary, and dropped their final song, “Death Is The Poor Man’s Doctor.”
The Friday Night Boys
The Friday Night Boys were right up there with the Bigger Lights when it came to a devastating loss of pop-punk potential. Fronted by now mega producer Andrew Goldstein, the Fueled By Ramen alumni quickly captured our hearts with their edgy earworms following their 2008 label debut. Unfortunately, by the end of 2010, they’d already split. Even a decade later, though, we’re still struggling to shake “Stuttering” from our heads.
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Sing It Loud
Does any band capture those nostalgic late-2000s vibes quite as well as Sing It Loud? There’s a good reason that the band hit the ground running in the scene. And no, it’s not only because of the guests who featured on their debut album, Come Around. Though, we’ll admit, a little support from Alex Gaskarth and Justin Pierre go a long way. Sing It Loud just had that quintessential, upbeat but edgy Warped Tour quality. We’re thankful to have gotten two full-lengths out of them prior to their breakup in 2010.
Hey Monday
Any emo kid is bound to sound like a broken record on this one. But come on, in a scene where women were so few and far between, how were we ever supposed to accept the loss of Hey Monday? The rousing pop-punk group pulled us in with their first (and only) full-length, Hold On Tight. And we did hold on tightly… On to hope for a return after their 2011 hiatus announcement. The band reunited for a single performance in 2019, reigniting our optimism that we might one day get that sophomore record.
VersaEmerge
If you don’t have trust issues brought on by VersaEmerge, then your scene phase was probably lacking. The heavy-hitting emo unit started gaining serious traction in 2009, and it wasn’t hard to imagine them being around for a decade or longer. However, they only put out one full-length, Fixed At Zero, and a handful of smaller-scale releases before diverting their efforts. Assuming a shortened moniker, VERSA, in late 2013, the band dabbled in electronic experimentalism for less than a year before ditching the rebrand altogether. Today, vocalist Sierra Kay is performing Americana-leaning alt rock under the name Bad Daughter.
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Every Avenue
“Where Were You,” “Hit Me Where It Hurts The Most” “Whatever Happened To You…” You can’t say that Every Avenue didn’t provide us with all the pop-punk anthems we’d need to deal with our heartbreak over their split. All jokes aside, though, we can hardly be upset looking back at this one. The band churned out three masterful full-lengths between 2008 and 2011, all without a single skippable track. It would’ve been nice to see that trend continue for a decade, netting us 13 or so records, but we’ll take what we can get. The band briefly reunited for two shows in 2018, but they’ve yet to announce any more plans going forward.
The Audition
The Audition took the late 2000s by storm, so you can’t fault us for assuming that they would just keep on going. Unfortunately, their activity fizzled shortly after their 2012 release, Chapter II. They since reunited for the 2018 Slam Dunk Festival, soon after teasing new beginnings. However, it’s been crickets since early 2019. We’re continuing to keep our fingers crossed that one day we’ll hear the band in the context of the modern wave.
Artist Vs Poet
Given that Artist Vs Poet only debuted on the scene in 2008, we were certain that they’d ride with us through the 2010s. As it turns out, though, our luck would start to run dry at the turn of the decade. Fearless Records dropped the band in 2011, shortly after the release of their debut full-length, Favorite Fix. That same year, they faced significant lineup changes, including the loss of founding vocalist Tarcy Thomason. The band self-released a handful of albums over the next few years with Joe Kirkland on vocals. However, they went quiet after the release of Medicine in 2014.
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Automatic Loveletter
We’re beyond thankful that Juliet Simms—err, we mean Lilith Czar—remains in our alternative sphere. Does that stop us from yearning for the return of Automatic Loveletter? Hell no. The band’s iconic standing in emo culture may have only lasted for a few years following their debut in 2007, but they had a killer discography to show for it. Ultimately, we said goodbye to Automatic Loveletter after they released The Kids Will Take Their Monsters On in 2011. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for a reunion, even if it’s Lilith Czar fronting.
Which of your favorite late-2000s bands departed the scene way too soon? Sound off in the comments!
