Top 10 2010s Bands That Don't Exist Anymore

#10: Crystal Castles
In 2006, Alice Glass and Ethan Kath formed Crystal Castles. They went on to release a range of music, which earned them significant success in the 2010s. In 2014, a couple of years after their third album, Glass left the band. She was replaced, and the band released a new album in 2016. In 2017, Glass claimed that Kath had been abusive towards her. This destroyed the band’s reputation, and they’ve been inactive since. Glass is still a prominent musician, however, releasing a variety of music since her departure. Kath, on the other hand, hasn’t done much at all.
#9: Karmin
In 2010, the pop duo Karmin formed, made up of Amy and Nick Noonan. They started releasing covers on YouTube, which earned them enough popularity to get signed in 2011. Karmin went on to release three albums, the last dropping in 2016. By the end of the decade, Karmin had entirely disappeared. They grew tired of the bubblegum pop style they were known for, so in 2017 announced a hiatus. In its place came Qveen Herby, an Amy Noonan solo project produced by Nick Noonan. All of Karmin’s social media rebranded to Qveen Herby, which is a much more hip-hop-inspired project. Karmin may be gone but Qveen Herby has already released way more music than Karmin ever did.
#8: Modern Baseball
This Philadelphian emo band was created in 2012, and their debut album dropped in the same year. Hilariously, they held their first concert in their house, with a picture of Michael Jordan being a valid entry fee. MoBo released two more albums in their career, but went on an indefinite hiatus in 2017, stating that their mental health had declined severely. Since they were an emo band that sang about how important mental health is, taking a break made sense. So there’s a chance there’ll be back someday, but don’t get your hopes up. The members have since been working on other projects, like Slaughter Beach, Dog, or solo material.
#7: Chairlift
You might be familiar with popstar Caroline Polachek, who has frequently collaborated with huge names like Charli XCX and whose work has been featured in a Hideo Kojima video game. Before her successful solo career, she was one half of the band Chairlift, alongside Aaron Pfenning. They formed in 2005, added member Patrick Wimberly in 2007, and then released an album in 2008. In 2010, Pfenning left, and Chairlift became a duo. Their next two follow-up albums were even more acclaimed than their debut. After their third and final album, Moth, they ended Chairlift so they could pursue separate projects. While they were a phenomenal band, their solo careers have both been highly successful, so we can’t complain much.
#6: The Civil Wars
Our next duo was formed in 2008, created by Joy Williams and John Paul White. They wouldn’t become widely known until 2011, when they released their debut album Barton Hollow. They’d release one more album two years later, but had broken up by the end of 2014. Throughout their 6-year career, they’d managed to win four Grammy Awards. Unfortunately, personal conflicts between the two just got too severe. Thankfully, things have healed between the pair since. In 2023, they worked with Taylor Swift to remake the track “Safe & Sound,” originally from “The Hunger Games” soundtrack.
#5: Feed Me Jack
You might be familiar with bedroom pop musician Still Woozy, who has been active since 2017. Before his solo career, he was part of the significantly less popular, but no less acclaimed, band Feed Me Jack. The group became one of the biggest math rock bands of the 2010s, which admittedly isn’t saying much given it’s a fairly niche genre. They were formed in 2011 in Santa Cruz, California. Their debut album Chumpfrey was adored, but their follow-up EP Anatolia was even more acclaimed. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t develop this sound much further, since they broke up in 2016. Their breakup was announced on Tumblr, which is very 2010s. Since then, they’ve all been pursuing solo projects like the previously mentioned Still Woozy.
#4: One Direction
Few people alive in the 2010s were unaware of One Direction. They were the biggest boy band of their time, achieving international stardom with tracks like “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Best Song Ever.” They were originally formed on “The X Factor,” the British singing competition. Despite only coming third, the group was signed by Simon Cowell and went on to make millions. After 5 years on top of the world, member Zayn Malik left, claiming he wanted some time away from the spotlight. Within a year, the band had split permanently, and they all went on to pursue solo careers.
#3: f(x)
For the mathematicians among us, we’re not talking about a function but the K-pop girl group. The band formed in 2009 and played together until 2016. They made a big mark in 2013, when their album Pink Tape became the only K-pop entry on Fuse’s “41 Best Albums of 2013.” They later became the first K-pop group to perform at the SXSW festival. In 2015, member Sulli decided to leave due to health issues. The rest of the group disbanded a year later to pursue solo projects. After a long, hard battle with depression, Sulli was found dead in her room in 2019. The phrase “Love You Sulli” began trending online, alongside the track “Peach” by K-pop giant IU, written about her.
#2: Wonder Girls
The second K-pop group to enter our list is the Wonder Girls, who were the first South Koreans to enter America’s Billboard Hot 100 in 2009, predating PSY by three years. They were formed in 2007, then dominated their music scene for an entire decade. Now they’re considered pioneers of the genre. At the height of their fame, they opened for the Jonas Brothers, in an attempt to become big in America. It wasn’t as successful as they hoped, with later bands like BTS and Twice truly becoming international stars. Still, Wonder Girls walked so they could fly, and their contributions to music are dearly remembered.
#1: Brockhampton
We can’t talk about the best bands of the 2010s without mentioning Brockhampton. They were formed in 2014 by Kevin Abstract and had 13 members when they released their debut album, “Saturation.” It was released in 2017, alongside two other albums, all within six months. They became huge extremely quickly. They believed themselves to be redefining boy bands, calling themselves the best “since One Direction.” They’d release a total of 8 albums in their 8-year career, finally breaking up in 2022. Their final albums were received fairly poorly, but they’ve all been pursuing solo careers since, and they left a legacy that will forever be remembered.
What was your favorite band from the 2010s, and are they still around? Let us know in the comments below!
