In an announcement posted to Instagram late yesterday (February 23), the label wrote, “We will now not help Ekko Astral and won’t be releasing their album the beltway is burning. This contains the tip of in-house PR service from the label. Refunds for pre-orders will likely be issued inside 5-10 enterprise days.”
UPDATE (2/25, 10:17 a.m. ET): In a follow-up assertion despatched to Exclaim! through e mail, Ekko Astral mentioned the next:
On Feb. 18, a Washington, D.C., native information story was revealed, resulting in Ekko Astral now not working with Topshelf Information. The story reported inaccurately and irresponsibly on a personal state of affairs between Jael and our former drummer, Miri. This was poised to be resolved peacefully and in non-public, however as an alternative the occasions had been reworked and distorted right into a state of affairs that damage everybody concerned whereas quickly derailing the marketing campaign behind the band’s second album, the beltway is burning.
Ekko Astral cooperated totally with the story when on-the-record feedback had been solicited for this piece. Virtually all of them had been ignored, together with an in depth account from Ekko Astral co-founder Liam Hughes, whose identify wasn’t even within the piece regardless of it utilizing his likeness. We imagine the info of this example had been offered in a means that differed from the reality, from a journalist whose strategy to the story did not match the stakes and sensitivity of the occasions in query.
“We gave them a chance to report the info, they usually disregarded all of them,” mentioned Liam Hughes, co-founder of Ekko Astral. “The inaccuracies and omissions on this story resulted in a swirl of misinformed on-line harassment that led us to half methods with our label. This story should not have been revealed within the first place. It needs to be considerably corrected, or retracted, and the outlet needs to be pressured to reckon with the results of its decision-making.”
Hughes continues: “We love Miri, and we needed to maintain this non-public for her profit. This was all extraordinarily laborious. We have all the time needed her to be wholesome and secure. We additionally need her to really feel snug expressing how she has felt after her time on this band. Regardless of the heartache and frustration that comes with the present public scrutiny of this example, we are going to proceed to carry her up as a lady and musician we love. That is all the time been our guideline on this delicate state of affairs — and we defined how you can the information outlet many instances.”
Ekko Astral plan to nonetheless launch the beltway is burning independently on April 22, 2026.
To Topshelf Information: we really recognize the time and care you place into Ekko Astral.
Ekko Astral additionally not too long ago made headlines in a Washington Metropolis Paper story about frontwoman Jael Holzman’s submitting of a peace order petition in opposition to not too long ago departed drummer Miri Tyler, who has been ordered to not contact Holzman, instantly or not directly, for six months after allegedly making threats in opposition to her on social media. Tyler has denied the allegations.
When requested if the band being dropped from the label had something to do with these proceedings, Topshelf advised Pitchfork, “Sure, all of those occasions, and extra, have irreversibly impacted our capacity to proceed working with this band or releasing their music. Now we have no additional remark.”
“There’s a variety of misinformation spreading about this story,” Holzman advised the publication in an announcement of her personal. “We may have extra to share within the close to future.” She added that Ekko Astral will nonetheless be releasing the follow-up to 2024’s Pink Balloons independently, calling the report “our satisfaction and pleasure.”
Tyler introduced her departure from the band final month, saying, “Touring with this band has introduced me to a worse place mentally than I’ve been in almost 10 years.” On the time, she famous that she deliberate on enjoying a remaining present with them at Liberation Fest II, a D.C. punk competition supporting trans liberation and mutual help, going down in April.
Holzman advised Stereogum that Tyler is “completely not barred” from enjoying the competition, including, “[it’s] a neighborhood occasion for anybody, the order speaks nothing on that, and I’d do something to be sure that mission stays true.”
Holzman based Ekko Astral with Liam Hughes in 2021, increasing the band to a four-piece with the addition of Tyler and bassist Guinevere Tully shortly thereafter. Tully left in July 2024, a couple of months after the discharge of their debut album, citing “a unfavorable toll on [her] bodily and psychological well being,” in addition to a need to deal with solo undertaking Rosslyn Station.
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