7 Seconds formed in Reno, Nevada in 1980, and they’ve been together ever since, switching up lineups but never doing the breakup/reunion thing. The band’s early records were enormously important to the development of melodic hardcore and straight edge, with the band howling grand and life-affirming and unpretentious hooks without compromising their speed or ferocity. As their influence has kept reverberating throughout the decades, they’ve kept touring hard and recording very good songs. But now they’re finally calling it a day.

In an honestly heart-rending Facebook statement, longtime frontman Kevin Seconds says that he never wanted to break the band up but that lingering injuries, as well as problems with depression and addiction, have forced the band to give it up. Seconds writes:

So basically, we’re a great big and old punk rock mess and the 4 of us can’t really find a way to clean ourselves up or work around the rubble enough to play out as a live band…

Those who have worked closely with us or who have followed us throughout our 38 years know how dysfunctional we can be but we always managed to pull our shit together at just the right time.

This time around, the reality of being middle-aged, working class, not terribly relevant and not being able to bounce back from injuries and personal problems has become a weight just too great for us to bear and all signs finally point to retirement.

No more band member replacements or even fill-ins.

7Seconds is Steve, Troy, Bobby and Kev.

Pretty much always has been and will be.

Admittedly, 2 years shy of a 40 year anniversary has me feeling a little down but there are more important things that milestones and the health of my band brothers and family trumps everything else at this point.

When the time came, I never wanted for us to do a big retirement tour but I had hoped we could at least have a big hometown (Reno) show before we took ourselves out. That’s not going to happen.

Well, that sucks. Below, watch some footage of 7 Seconds performing back in the day: