Hiroshima, a band that helped define Asian American identity, will take a hiatus until 2021.
On Thursday, the band announced the end of their 30-year career, after a dispute with record producer David Kahne, over the release of their seventh studio album.
Hiroshima have always been political and outspoken musicians, frequently criticizing the country’s recent history, including the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their work, however, was never defined by politics. Instead, it often focuses on the culture of the local community and culture clashes in the larger, larger world.
“Hiroshima is a band that has built a strong, consistent, and diverse reputation. Throughout the years, we have shown strength on numerous fronts: a career spanning 30 years, 15 critically acclaimed albums, seven singles, three Grammy nominations, and a sold out concert at SXSW,” the band said in a statement.
“We feel we have exhausted all the options for making our next album and are seeking new challenges and collaborators in an effort to make a unique creative statement,” they said.
“In an effort to create ‘the next Hiroshima,” the band said in a statement announcing the album’s hiatus, “we have decided to take some time to regroup and find new life and energy for our creative pursuits.”
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A representative for Kahne told the Washington Post that the band has been going out of business due to an ongoing dispute with the producer who worked on the band’s final album, 2015’s “A Certain Smile.” The band claimed that Kahne was responsible for the band’s recent departure, although he had no input into the record.
“Hiroshima have been discussing the release of our new album with me since January, and we were waiting for the timing and the band situation to be resolved. The latest is that we have been put on hold indefinitely. While we are disappointed by this situation, it is not at all surprising. As they say, ‘life finds a way’.”
“I have known the band for over 30 years. This disagreement has nothing to do with Hiroshima’s lack of commercial viability or lack of commercial success in the past. We are
