Will Bryant reports:
Ending more than a week of rumors and speculation, emo poster children The Promise Ring are officially disbanding, according to sources at Anti-, who released the group's tepid Wood/Water album earlier this year. Frontman Davey Von Bohlen reportedly announced the split at a Plea for Peace show last week, but it was unclear whether the band were actually disbanding or if Von Bohlen was simply cutting some band members loose. A common remark about the tame, overly introspective Wood/Water was that it sounded more like a Von Bohlen solo album than the woozy fuzz of past efforts. With songs like "Stop Playing Guitar," "Say Goodbye Good," and "Size of Your Life," it seems Von Bohlen was in the midst of some pretty heavy life re-evaluation following surgery the singer had in 2000 to remove a benign brain tumor.

"It's official," Anti- publicist Hector Martinez told Pitchfork Thursday, along with a predictably terse official statement from the band: "After eight years, four albums and thousands of shows, The Promise Ring have disbanded on amicable terms." Even Anti-/Epitaph chief Brett Gurewitz was unclear Thursday as to the exact reasons behind the split, telling Billboard, "I don't know the reasons yet and all I can say is, this is very sad news."

The Promise Ring took a gamble by hiring legendary Smiths producer Stephen Street to produce Wood/Water at a cost of over $100,000, hoping to make a big splash with a fat-sounding debut for Anti-. Given the back-to-basics acoustic/electric simplicity of the arrangements, however, it was not immediately apparent to many fans what gloss, exactly, the pricey Street lent to the album, while others were simply disappointed in the band's low-key direction. Either way, it appears that Von Bohlen has some further soul-searching to do, but don't rule out his moving to California, growing some nappy dread cornrows, and creating his own emo Chinese Democracy in 2012. One of the Kinsellas can play guitar with that damn bucket on his head.

.: Pitchfork Review: Promise Ring: Wood/Water
.: Pitchfork News: Promise Ring, Jimmy Eat World Tour Against Suicide
.: Promise Ring: http://www.tpr-online.com
.: Anti- : http://www.anti.com

Ray Suzuki reports:
Atmospheric art-rock sensations Interpol are currently on tour in Europe through the middle of next month, including four French dates with Jade Tree's coed cacophonists Girls Against Boys. Right about the same time the tour is winding down (November 11th), Matador Europe will be releasing "Obstacle 1" as a single. The final tracklist has yet to be confirmed by the label, but the UK release will be available both on CD and seven-inch and include live in-studio versions of album tracks recorded at the band's 2001 Peel session, according to French fansite TheInterpol.com. Tentative tracklist:

CD format:
01 Obstacle 1
02 PDA [KCRW session July 2002]
03 Hands Away [Peel session May 2001]

Seven-inch format:
01 Obstacle 1
02 Obstacle 2 [Peel session May 2001]

In addition to the single news, Matador has posted the video for U.S. single "PDA" on its official website for your downloading pleasure, since MTV2 seems to have its head up Busta Rhymes' ass everytime we flip it on when we're channel-trolling for that Girls Gone Wild infomercial. Tour dates:

10-18 Manchester, England - Roadhouse
10-19 Brighton, England - The Old Market
10-20 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
10-21 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
10-23 Munich, Germany - Feierwerk
10-24 Schondorf, Germany - Manufaktur
10-25 Frankfurt, Germany - Asta-Fest
10-26 Dresden, Germany - Star Club
10-27 Berlin, Germany - Knaack
10-28 Hamburg, Germany - Logo
10-29 Koln, Germany - Gebaude 9
10-31 Rome, Italy - Classico
11-01 Milan, Italy - Rolling Stone
11-02 Rimini, Italy - Velvet
11-04 Dijon, France- La Vapeur *
11-05 Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie *
11-06 Paris, France - La Trabendo *
11-07 Rennes, France - Antipode
11-08 Bordeaux, France - Cat
11-09 Barcelona, Spain - Bikini
11-10 Toulouse, France - Salle des Fetes de Ramonville
11-12 Lille, France - Aeroneuf *

* with Girls Against Boys

.: Pitchfork Review: Interpol: Turn On the Bright Lights
.: Interpol: http://www.interpolny.com
.: TheInterpol.com: http://www.theinterpol.com
.: "PDA" Video: http://www.matadorrecords.com/music/video.html

Ray Suzuki reports:
Mute/Blast First has set a November 12th release date for Fins to Make Us More Fish-Like, a new EP from the Liars. The EP features two new recordings and a nugget from the Liars' debut album They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, and will be available both on CD and on ten fat inches of vinyl. Tracklist:

01 Pillars Were Hollow and Filled with Candy So We Tore Them Down
02 Every Day is a Child with Teeth
03 Grown Men Don't Fall in the River, Just Like That

As previously reported, the Liars are back on tour with buzz-bin matchmates Yeah Yeah Yeahs starting October 23rd in Cleveland and continuing through the end of the month (dates in our previous story). The Liars also have a split EP with fellow Brooklynites Oneida forthcoming on Arena Rock Recording Co.

.: Pitchfork Review: Liars: They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top
.: Pitchfork News: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Deliver New EP, Extend Tour with Liars
.: Pitchfork News: Oneida Reissue LP on 2xCD, Split EP with Liars
.: Liars: http://www.liarsliarsliars.com
.: Mute: http://www.mute.com

Will Bryant reports:
Though their Sub Pop debut Make Up the Breakdown was released just last week, the Canadian pop-punk foursome Hot Hot Heat have reportedly signed with Warner Bros for their next album. The group's previous full-length, Scenes One Through Thirteen, was released through Florida-based indie Ohev (also home to early releases from Kind of Like Spitting and The Epidemic). The Heat also released a split LP with The Red Light Sting on the Canadian imprint Ache.

As previously reported, Hot Hot Heat are currently on tour through mid-November with the Pattern, the Dismemberment Plan, Engine Down, VHS or Beta, and the Greenhornes among their esteemed tourmates. The triple-Hots will also be suiting up for Sub Pop's CMJ showcase at New York's Mercury Lounge on November 2nd with Arlo, Damien Jurado, Jason Loewenstein, Iron & Wine, and Ugly Casanova. Check the dates in our previous story.

.: Pitchfork Review: Hot Hot Heat: Knock Knock Knock EP
.: Pitchfork News: Hot Hot Heat Drop New LP, Tour with The Pattern
.: Hot Hot Heat: http://www.hothotheat.com
.: Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com