Ekko Astral to release second album independently as Topshelf Records withdraws support

Yesterday (23 February), Topshelf shared a social media post stating that they will no longer be supporting the Washington D.C. punk band going forward, including the release of the beltway is burning, which was due for release via Topshelf on 22 April.

In the post, the label writes: "We can no longer support Ekko Astral and will not be releasing their album the beltway is burning. This includes the end of in-house PR service from the label. Refunds for pre-orders will be issued within 5-10 business days."

This follows the announcement of drummer Mimi Tyler's departure from the band towards the end of January, citing mental health difficulties and a desire to focus on her own projects. Last week, Washington City Paper reported that vocalist Jael Holzman filed a peace order against Tyler, accusing Tyler of making threats to her on social media. Tyler has denied making threats to anyone, as Washington City reports.

While Topshelf did not initially state their reasoning for dropping the band, Pitchfork approached the label to ask whether it was related to these incidents, to which they replied with a statement: “Yes, all of these events, and more, have irreversibly impacted our ability to continue working with this band or releasing their music. We have no further comment.”

Holzman has since taken to Bluesky, sharing a series of posts addressing the situation. "ekko astral is no longer on topshelf. if you’re wondering why, there is a lot more to that story to share in the coming days. and a *lot* of misinformation surrounding the events leading up to it," she writes, confirming, “the beltway is burning” will still be released, as it’s our pride and joy."

"i am grateful that in separation i will be able to fully and finally address what has transpired over the past three weeks of my life, as that did not feel possible before," she adds.

ekko astral is no longer on topshelf. if you’re wondering why, there is a lot more to that story to share in the coming days. and a *lot* of misinformation surrounding the events leading up to it. “the beltway is burning” will still be released, as it’s our pride and joy.

— jael holzman (@jael.bsky.social) 24 February 2026 at 03:42

the TL;dr is what you’ve been told about what happened isn’t true in even the slightest looking forward to actually having the freedom to talk about it while still releasing ekko astral’s second album xo

— jael holzman (@jael.bsky.social) 24 February 2026 at 05:38