After 31 years, pioneering alternative rock band REM have called it quits. The band announced today on their website that they are through:

“To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.” R.E.M.

The band formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia, and released 15 albums, most recently this year’s Collapse into Now. The band’s individual members have all released personal statements, which can be viewed here.