Ben Potrykus and Andy Sadoway started making music together in Boston back in 2009 under the name Girlfriends, and by the time they got around to releasing their first full-length in 2013, they had changed their name to Bent Shapes and soon after that they picked up a few new members in the form of guitarist Luke Brandfon and bassist Jenny Mudarri. Bent Shapes’ debut, Feels Weird, and its follow-up, 2016’s Wolves Of Want, are filled with catchy and hyper-literate power-rock songs that go down like a mess of jumbled nerves. A highlight from their last LP, “Realization Hits,” is about their signature practice of packaging radical politics and social consciousness into pithy punk songs: “Failure’s never been as fun as when you’re chasing oblivion/ And you know we’ll never quit singing realization hits.”

But Bent Shapes will sadly be no more, as the band has announced that they’re breaking up after eight years together. They’ll be playing a final show at Great Scott in Allston on 12/16. Here’s a final dispatch from the band:

Hello friends,

After over 8 years of basement shows, tours, flexi discs, name changes, membership fluctuations, TV spots, meeting musical heroes, minivan mayhem, and dirty sprites, we’re laying these Shapes to rest. We’re planning on going out in a blaze of glory on the stage of our old stomping grounds, Great Scott, on December 16 with Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion! and Laika’s Orbit. Tickets go on sale this Thursday.

We’d like to thank each and every one of you that has had a hand in making this band what it’s been. Thank you for helping us book shows, for playing with us, for working on our gear, for coming out to see us on a weeknight, for letting us sleep on your floors and couches, for buying our records or streaming our songs, for telling your friends about our music. None of the many good times we’ve had would have been possible without you. Extra special thanks to our families, close friends, and loved ones, who have had to both fan the flames of our musical passion/obsession at times and tolerate them at others, particularly to Jerry MacDonald of Oddfellows Recording/Aurora 7 Records, Ian Doerr and Evan Murphy of Love Magnet Studios (f/k/a Mystic Steamship), Jessi Frick of Father/Daughter Records, Elio DeLuca at the Soul Shop, and Mike Schulman of Slumberland Records. You made our dreams come true.

We’re so proud of what we’ve accomplished, and feel incredibly lucky to have shared the experiences we’ve had as a band with all of you. We are moving on as friends, each of us continuing to make art and music (we’ll never quit singing realization hits, obvi) and to support each other, so we’ll certainly see you around.
All love!
Ben, Andy, Luke, Jenny