Orbital Breaks Up for Second Time, Paul Hartnoll Announces New Project 8:58

In a statement posted to their official website, influential British electronic duo Orbital announced they have broken up for a second time. No reason has been given for their split, other than "it's time to stop," though the break-up seems amicable. Paul Hartnoll has also announced a new project he's working on: 8:58.

"We've had our ups and downs, and it's not always been easy, but I've loved my time with Orbital," Paul Hartnoll said in the statement. "It's been brilliant that we've been able to take our music to so many places, from local clubs to headlining Glastonbury to playing massive events across America, Australia, Japan ... It's been fantastic."

Formed in 1989 by brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll, Orbital released eight studio albums over their career, their most recent being 2012's Wonky. This is not the first time Orbital has broken up, however: They first split in 2004, but reunited in 2009.

"It was particularly nice to get such a lovely reception when we got back together a few years ago," Hartnoll continued, "[T]hese shows over the past few years have been a real high point in many ways. The shows and the audiences have been amazing."

Though the Hartnoll brothers have split up, this is far from the end of their music careers. Paul Hartnoll has collaborated with PJ Harvey and Flood on the soundtrack to the BBC show Peaky Blinders, and has even started a new project called 8:58, which he says will be performing live soon. Phil Hartnoll will be "focusing on his DJ-ing career."

You can check out the entire statement over at Orbital's website right here.

Check out Orbital's classic track "Chime" here:

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