The Walkmen are about to head on an “extreme hiatus,” according to band bassist Pete Bauer.  In a recent interview with the Washington Post this is what he said:
“We have no future plans whatsoever.  I’d call it a pretty extreme hiatus.”
He added of the group’s current game plan: “We really just have no idea. I don’t think any of us wanted to write another Walkmen record. Maybe that will change down the line, maybe it won’t, maybe we’ll play shows. I think it’s weird to make a hubbub about something if there’s nothing to really make a hubbub about. At the same time, I don’t think we’ve been a gang properly for a long time, so there’s not much to break up, I guess.”
Vocalist Hamilton Leithauser has a solo debut coming out sometime in 2014. Musicians involved on the recordings include Walkmen guitarist Paul Maroon, Fleet Foxes/Cave Singers multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson, Richard Swift and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij.
Bauer is readying a solo debut of his own titled Liberation!, which marks the first time he’s sung lead vocals or written lyrics. Leithauser mixed a song on the LP, which has to yet yield a due date, while drummer Matthew Barrick has been playing live with Bauer.