Before the Vampire Weekend, Tokyo Police Club, and The xx’s of all the world, Austin based Voxtrot was indie music’s “it” band. Following the release of a series of EPs and its self-titled 2007 debut, the Ramesh Srivastava-led outfit caught the attention of many and earned praised from just about every music publication.

However, after a series of tour dates in 2008, Voxtrot remained noticeably quiet, only making an appearance here and releasing a single there. When we emailed the band in 2009 about playing one of our SXSW parties, we were told that it was busy working on a new album and not yet ready to perform. (They ultimately did perform a one-off at the MediaTemple party that year, probably for a nice pay day). A year later, after inquiring once again, we were basically given the same answer.

So, sadly, we aren’t surprised by today’s news that the band has decided to call it quits. In a posting on its official website, Srivastava noted, “The career path of Voxtrot was truly one of long, simmering build, explosion, and almost instantaneous decay. Slowly, I am learning to replace any feelings of regret with positive memories of how amazing the whole thing was, and how it has, in an unexpected way, fortified my character.”

Srivastava continues his letter by explaining the rational behind his decision and why he is proud of what the band accomplished. “Being in Voxtrot has been wonderful and amazing, but it is only one chapter in the book,” he stated.

The good news though is that Voxtrot will play a series of goodbye, or should I say, “Goodbye, Cruel World…” tour dates before officially disbanding. The trek launches on May 21st in Chicago and sees the band visiting seven cities in the days that follow.

Plus, Voxtrot members have a slew of new projects to check out: Mitch Calvert is now in International Waters, Jared Van Fleet has a solo project called Sparrow House, and Matt Simon and Jason Chronis are playing in three bands together, JC & Co., The Black, and Belaire.

Still, we’re bummed. You should be, too, especially after checking out the audio player we included above.

Voxtrot 2010 Tour Dates:
05/21 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
05/22 – Appleton, WI @ Lawrence University
05/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex *
05/29 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
06/03 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
06/23 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
06/25 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

* = w/ International Waters