One Direction is taking an indefinite hiatus starting in March – all the crying emojis

Readers, it is with a heavy heart that I come to you with news about our favorite British boy band. One Direction, the global sensation who got their start on the British TV show The X Factor back in 2010, announced yesterday that they planned to go their separate ways after the release of their fifth album.

Before you totally freak out, the band is phrasing the split as an “extended hiatus.”

Note the word “continuity.” If the band is true to the dictionary definition, this means we haven’t seen the last of those adorable, swoopy-haired crooners. They just need some time apart. This is, according to a source who confided in People magazine, due to a mutual agreement amongst the band members to take this time to focus on personal projects. Which means that, even with the band on hold, we should still expect exciting things coming our way from the boys. The bad news? This means there won’t be a tour for their fifth album, which is slated for release later this year, though they’ll continue promoting the album through February. This news comes months after our latest heartbreak, when Zayn Malik left the group back in March. The remaining members, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, continued the good work, but had always made it clear that they were all interested in working on solo projects. For now, we can comfort ourselves with their newest music video for their hit song, “Drag Me Down.” The video came out a few days ago and features the four remaining members as astronauts preparing for a mission in space. Oh 1D, how we’ll miss you guys. (Image via Columbia Records)