After months of turmoil behind the scenes, Washington, D.C. experimental punk outfit Ekko Astral have announced they are going on an indefinite hiatus.
The band have endured a turbulent year marked by internal conflict and major setbacks. Earlier this year, frontperson Jael Holzman filed a peace order petition against former drummer Miri Tyler, roughly a month after Tyler publicly announced her departure from the group.
The dispute unfolded as Ekko Astral were preparing to release their sophomore album, the beltway is burning. However, the record hit an unexpected roadblock when Topshelf Records, which had been set to release the album, dropped the band. Ekko Astral initially planned to self-release the record, but those plans were eventually shelved, with the album delayed indefinitely. The band also withdrew from Liberation Weekend II, the trans-rights festival they had been organizing.
Now, Ekko Astral have confirmed that the band is stepping away indefinitely. In a statement shared on social media, the group announced two farewell performances: a free outdoor show in New York on August 22 and a final hometown concert at DC9 in Washington, D.C. on August 27.
The band also revealed that the beltway is burning is no longer expected to release, stating that they "no longer have plans to release the beltway is burning any time soon."
Read the full statement below:
It's time to end things.
The final Ekko Astral shows for the foreseeable future will be a free outdoor performance on Aug. 22 in New York City and a finale gig on Aug. 27 in Washington, D.C. with our friends Right Chipper and Berra.
These last shows will span our entire catalogue, serve as a celebrations send-off and will be the last events where we plan to play tracks from this discography for a very long time.
We will also be raffling the painting from the pink balloons album cover at the DC9 show, and plan to donate all proceeds from the raffle to trans health services at Whitman-Walker.
These are the last shows we plan to do as Ekko Astral for the foreseeable future. We are putting the band on indefinite hiatus to prioritize other musical projects.
We also no longer have plans to release the beltway is burning any time soon.
Maybe one day that record will see the light of day; right now both of us want to build a project more fitting to where we are now creatively and that isn't this band.
Ekko Astral rose up out of bedroom jams and basement shows to become a dream realized.
We're eternally grateful to every single person who helped us along the way. None of this would've been possible without your help and we're forever indebted to you.
It's time to end things. The final Ekko Astral shows for the foreseeable future will be a free outdoor performance on Aug. 22 in NYC and a finale gig on Aug. 27 in D.C. (tix on sale now). Thank you for all you’ve done for us and with us. We hope to catch you at the last shows.
— ekko astral (@ekkoastral.bsky.social) July 15, 2026 at 10:02 AM
[image or embed]
What do you think?
Show comments / Leave a comment