In Hearts Wake have announced the departure of long-time bassist and vocalist Kyle Erich, and shared new track ‘Farewell’ to say their goodbyes.
The band will tour Australia with Erich for the final time this September, giving fans the last chance to catch him play as part of the metalcore outfit.
Speaking of his departure, the rest of the band – which consists of Jake Taylor, guitarists Eaven Dall and Ben Nairne, and drummer Conor Ward – have said in a statement:
“In Hearts Wake has some news. Our bass player & clean vocalist Kyle Erich is leaving the band to focus on his family and other parts of his life.
“He will be touring with us one last time in September, and today we have released a new track and video called ‘Farewell’ as part of his send off. We adore Kyle and appreciate every contribution he’s made to our band and our lives.
“12 years of laughs, gigs and singalongs. He’s an amazing person and we will miss having him around as In Hearts Wake continues to forge ahead. While we were saddened and heart broken by the news at first, we all knew that what was right for Kyle was right for us.
“We all support his decision and can’t wait to celebrate him and bring closure to his journey with the band. We will have more In Hearts Wake news in a couple of weeks, but for now let’s celebrate our man Kyle Erich and all the amazing moments we’ve had together.”
To mark Erich’s departure, the band have today shared their brand-new single, aptly-titled ‘Farewell’, which is about as good a send-off as it gets, giving Kyle a chance to create a track for one final time with his long-time bandmates.
Have a listen via the video below.
Describing the news in his own words, Kyle has added:
“It’s hard to put into words how impactful and fulfilling my journey with In Hearts Wake has been. I honestly feel so lucky to have been a part of In Hearts Wake and everything it has become over the years.
“The places we’ve been, the bands/people who have supported us and all the incredible moments that I’ll never forget. To be honest, I never really thought that music could bring so much joy to my life and I owe so much to my brothers in the band for seeing something in me that I didn’t even know I had.
“The life of a touring musician is incredible and honestly I wouldn’t change a thing about my last twelve years with In Hearts Wake. That being said, this life does require a lot of sacrifice and now as a father those choices are more complicated and much harder to make.
“Being in the industry for as long as I have, I know you need to give 100% to make it work and I’m at a point now where that’s not something I’m able to give. In my eyes that would be a disservice to the band and to all our fans who have supported us over the years. Farewell will be my last song with the band and it was a very difficult song to write.
“Despite this being the right decision for me it’s been so hard to let go of something that’s been such a massive part of my life. The Australian tour this September will be my last tour as part of the band and although bitter sweet, it’s going to be a farewell tour to remember.
“From the bottom of my heart I want to thank anyone who has come to a show, said hello to me in the street or played with us on stage. You have truly changed my life forever.
“Jake, Ben, Eaven, and Conor I love you guys and I can’t wait to see where In Hearts Wake goes from here. See you down the road!”