Sorry Gen-Xers, the time has come at last: Influential alternative rock band R.E.M. have broken up after 30 years together.
In a statement published on their web site, the band explained, “As lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished.”
From “Murmur” in 1983 to “Collapse Into Now,” the band released 15 albums and was instrumental in shaping the alternative “college rock” sound of the 1980s with singles like “Radio Free Europe,” “Stand” and “The One I Love.” In the subsequent decade, the band was able to comfortably slide into the role of the elder statesmen of the alternative scene, mentoring artists such as Pearl Jam and Radiohead while also speaking out in favor of progressive causes.
Our favorite R.E.M. song, below:
