Now I have a sad! Personal does-this-even-count-as-idol-sure favorites HATEGLEAM very casually announced on Twitter that they’re on their way out.

NEXT LIVE
11/19(土)@渋谷音楽館スタジオライブ
現段階ラストのライブです！

ご予約はリプライorメールにて受付中！

— HATEGLEAM (@HATEGLEAM) September 14, 2016

A person who I take to be their manager is sending encouraging messages about “next steps” and things, but let’s be honest: You can be musically cool all day long, but if you don’t have any fans, it’s not going to work for you. Their website is already gone, and the ubiquitous tweets from/about their official store are just kind of sad at this point.

Of course, if they don’t have fans, it’s not for lack of trying. The lead from their album, released a few months ago, was more notable for the discussion about harsh vocal styles in the comments than the song itself, but their very first release was a thing of crushing beauty:

I am/was your biggest fan outside of Japan (and possibly your immediate families), HATEGLEAM. If you need to get rid of excess merch, send it on my way.