Smith Westerns Hiatus: 'Varsity' Band Calls It Quits (for Now)

The Smith Westerns will finish up their post-album cycle Dec. 23 when their tour comes to an end in their hometown of Chicago. Unfortunately, it sounds like it might be the group's final show. Cullen Omori released a series of tweets Saturday, Dec. 13, that hinted at the end:

All the band members attended the same elite Chicago high school, and the group talked about the Midwestern pressure to go the "supposed" route when they were first hitting it big in late 2009.

"I think it's a very Midwestern thing, this 'what you should be doing' kind of thing going on," Omori told Epilogue. "This embedded consciousness of, if you f--k up, they were right. A lot of the kids we hang out with now aren't from here, they just went to college here. I've heard a lot of comments about the Midwest and how it sucks, coming from L.A. or New York or something. There's this wholesome thing, too. But I like living in Chicago, I like this city."

The boys appeared to break out of the mold, though.

"The whole Midwest thing is you're not really a risk-taker, you always have some kind of plan," he said. "I think that's why a lot of bands that come from Chicago and they'll make some good music, those one or two bands that come out don't tour because they don't want to quit their jobs to go on tour, and that's probably why the bands here suck."

It has been five years since then, and we will have to wait on an official reason for the band's hiatus, but keep the homeland factor in mind.

While we patiently hang tight for closure, check out one of the group's biggest hits, "Varsity":

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