Pitchfork

Photo by Steve Double

More often than not, when one hears the phrase "take a break," it's not a great sign for the future: "I like you and everything but, you know, I'm going to Barcelona next semester and maybe we should...take a break." Etc. Earlier this week, Brooklyn Vegan reported that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are taking such a break.

According to their management, Clap Your Hands have pushed back recording plans and don't have any shows set after their February 13 gig at the Brooklyn Academy of Music-- but they are not breaking up. So, yeah, read into that as much as you want. (But, seriously, if you're spending excess mental energy thinking about CYHSY breakup rumors you [we?] need a new hobby).

In the meantime, the CYHSY dudes aren't just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. They're working on side projects...that we're sure will in no way factor into future breakup rumors! Sigh. A rundown: Keyboardist-guitarist Robbie Guertin and bassist Tyler Sargent are working with Au Revoir Simone's Annie Hart among others on a multimedia project dubbed Uninhabitable Mansions that makes books, music and art. Lead singer Alec Ounsworth is testing out solo material with new collaborators. And drummer Sean Greenhalgh is still playing the occasional show as Axl Rose in his Guns N' Roses tribute band, Mr. Brownstone; they'll hit Sayreville New Jersey's Starland Ballroom on February 7. See, they're all busy, they're just not busy making the next Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album.