Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and with its passing comes the inevitable heartbreak of two individuals with actual feelings. If you’re like me, a cynical romantic crying deeply into a bowl of oatmeal, Valentine’s Day probably broke your heart. Just like your relationship, here are some bands that are no longer together.

Kithkin
Year they broke up: 2015
The Seattle-based band met in college and created an original sound — mostly screaming through the bad things in life and threatening the end of days. Carving out its own musical genre called “tree-punk,” concerts were an almost religious experience with magical vests, woodland tree dwelling teens and tons of wild thrashing. The band wrote an awesome goodbye on its Facebook page explaining they had just grown up and were tired of all the yelling. Here’s hoping they get angry again someday.

The Civil Wars
Year they broke up: 2014
My mother was convinced The Civil Wars were in love. It was the way they looked at each other on stage, spitting out beautiful love songs with enough fervor to make even the coldest heart melt. The fact that they definitely weren’t in love may or may not have contributed to their messy end. They cited artistic difference as the reason for their dissolve right before their world tour, but most long-term fans don’t buy it. The rumors of cheating, a too bossy husband-manager and just general disagreements led to an impassioned, depressed second album that broke them up permanently. Either way, if you’re looking for angry, despondent folk music, look no further.

Yellow Ostrich
Year they broke up: 2014

The Brooklyn-based band did the five in five — as in five albums in five years — and yet the breakup they announced more than two years ago still came as a shock to longtime fans. The split seemed amicable enough, as everyone dissolved into their own side projects. But the band’s experimental sound is hard to capture without the whole gang. Its sort of poppy, sort of strange lyrics were lonely but interesting, making them perfect tunes for the post-breakup blues.

The Horse Thieves
Year they broke up: 2012
With the limited release of its two albums via an independent record label and unusual nesting place in a smaller city, this Americana band didn’t make a huge name for itself. After announcing its members would be doing more touring and even investing in a new bus, the Spokane-based band split up with very little press on what actually happened. Rumor has it touring disagreements were the reason for the breakup, although whether or not that’s true is hard to say. Marshall McLean, the former front runner, has started up his own band and tours successfully in the Washington State area. But there’s something about The Horse Thieves’ original sound that most Spokanites have never quite gotten over.

At the Drive-In/The Mars Volta
Year they broke up: 2001 and 2012
Any 15-year-old punk will tell you At the Drive-In was their creed. The loud garage-style punk was both entertaining and endearing, and always a great way to spend an evening. When members Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala split off into The Mars Volta, most fans followed their quieter, more mature sound.

Unfortunately, no good thing can last. The Mars Volta broke up as well, apparently due to touring disagreements. But just last year, At the Drive-In did a reunion show, giving hope that maybe the band isn’t quite done yet.

Emera Riley is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email her at elril100@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @emerariley.

Published on February 16, 2016 at 8:08 pm