Cobra Starship Break Up

Cobra Starship have called it quits. After nearly a decade together, the dance-rock outfit announced Tuesday that they would be splitting up after four studio albums. Singer Gabe Saporta penned a long goodbye note on Cobra Starship’s official site thanking fans for their support and telling them that, for him, “the time has come to move on” from the Fueled By Ramen-signed act.

“After many incredible years, I’m making the difficult decision to close the book on Cobra Starship,” Saporta wrote. “If you stop reading this now, I want to say thank you if you’ve ever supported Cobras in any way. Whether you came to our shows and bought merch, or simply listened to a track and shared it with a friend, you allowed us to live out the most incredible adventure, and I am eternally grateful for that.”

The wheels of Cobra Starship’s breakup have been in motion since summer 2014, when longtime bassist Alex Suarez and guitarist Ryland Blackinton both revealed they were exiting the band. Although the group released their single “Never Been in Love” featuring Icona Pop in August 2014, they hadn’t released an LP since 2011’s Night Shades.

Later in the long statement, Saporta wrote, “I feel like I’ve lived a hundred lifetimes and that I’ve learned things I could have never been taught elsewhere. I was able to connect with people all over the world and from all walks of life, and I will take these lessons, experiences, and connections with me wherever I go. But now the time has come to move on.”

In the immediate aftermath of the Cobra Starship breakup, Saporta said he’d concentrate on the business side of the music industry. “That of course begs the question: Well, where are you going, bro? The truth is that there is nothing that I am more passionate about than music. And although the time has come for me to pass the baton, nothing would be as rewarding for me as the opportunity to share my wisdom and experiences with the next generation of artists,” Saporta wrote. “And so, me and my boy Mike Carden are starting a company to do just that.” The two have formed the Artist Group, a management company that will launch in 2016.

In an interview with Billboard, Saporta explained why he’s venturing into the business aspect. “In the early days of Midtown [Saporta’s previous band], we got into a really bad contract dispute and couldn’t release anything. So I was just like, ‘I’m going to manage bands and learn from the inside,'” he said, adding that he managed a band called Armor for Sleep on the side. “I couldn’t do [Cobra Starship and management] at once, but I still loved the business.”

Saporta said he has “hard drives” full of unreleased music, but it’s unclear whether fans will get to hear it. He also revealed that he’s not opposed to Cobra Starship farewell gigs, though no concrete plans have been announced.