After 27 years of pop-punk hits and high-energy performances, Sum 41 has announced their decision to disband. The Canadian quartet released a statement via social media to share the news with fans, thanking them for their support over the years and promising a final album release and tour to celebrate their career.
“Being in Sum 41 since 1996 brought us some of the best moments of our lives,” the statement reads. “It is hard to articulate the love and respect we have for all of you, and we wanted you to hear this from us first. Sum 41 will be disbanding. We will still be finishing all of our current upcoming tour dates this year, and we’re looking forward to releasing our final album Heaven :x: Hell, along with a final worldwide headlining tour to celebrate.”
— Sum 41 (@Sum41) May 8, 2023
Sum 41 first rose to prominence in the early 2000s as part of the pop-punk wave, with lead singer Deryck Whibley’s catchy hooks and irreverent lyrics helping to cement their status as genre stalwarts. Their 2001 debut album All Killer No Filler achieved platinum-selling success in the United States, while their next two albums, Does This Look Infected? and Chuck, went gold.
While they may be best known for their sugary pop-punk hits like “Fat Lip,” “In Too Deep,” and “Still Waiting,” Sum 41 also drew inspiration from classic rock and heavy metal. They often incorporated guitar harmonies and riffing into their songs, and even covered bands like Queen and Metallica in concert. In fact, a fateful performance at MTV’s 20th anniversary in 2001, which saw the band covering Motley Crue and Judas Priest with help from Tommy Lee and Rob Halford, proved to be a turning point in their career.
“That was the single most important moment in our career and in our lives at that time,” Whibley recently said of the performance. “And from the next day, everything sorta took off. The [‘Fat Lip’] video went into heavy rotation, the song went up the charts, and it just kinda went worldwide, and it just kinda took off.”
Sum 41’s final album, Heaven :x: Hell, is set to be released soon, with a final worldwide headlining tour to follow. Fans will have the chance to see the band live one last time and bid farewell to a pop-punk legend.