Format Reunites: The Friendship and “True Story” Behind the Indie Duo’s Return
After nearly two decades of silence and a false start thwarted by a global pandemic, indie pop cult favorites The Format have officially returned. With their third studio album, Boycott Heaven, set for release on January 23, 2026, and a successful run of reunion shows finally under their belt, the duo of Nate Ruess and Sam Means are proving that their comeback is grounded not in nostalgia, but in a friendship that survived the industry’s harshest realities.
The Long Road Back
The story of The Format’s return does not begin with a boardroom negotiation or a high-stakes offer from a festival promoter. According to the band, the catalyst was a solitary drive Ruess took several years ago. Ruess, who found massive mainstream success with the band fun. following The Format’s 2008 split, told audiences that he was driving when a song from the band’s 2003 debut Interventions + Lullabies came on shuffle.
“I was like, ‘I should probably skip this,'” Ruess admitted, referencing the distance he had placed between himself and his early work. “And I listened, and I thought, ‘Holy sht, this kicks a*. This is totally rad.'”
This realization sparked a conversation with Means, his longtime best friend. Despite the band’s abrupt breakup in 2008—fueled by label disputes and creative exhaustion—the two had remained inextricably linked personally. In their hiatus announcement years ago, they famously assured fans they were still close, “passing the Twin Peaks box set back and forth.” That bond remained the foundation upon which the reunion was built, distinguishing it from other band reconciliations often driven by financial necessity.
Objections and False Starts
The road to the 2026 album release was not without significant hurdles. Critics and cynical observers often view band reunions as “cash grabs,” designed to capitalize on the nostalgia of aging millennial fanbases. This skepticism was compounded when the band’s initial reunion attempt in early 2020 collapsed.
Announced in February 2020, the “reunion” was originally slated as a series of shows in New York, Chicago, and Phoenix. Tickets sold out instantly, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced repeated postponements and eventual cancellations, leaving fans “blue-balled” and skeptical if the duo would ever grace the stage together again. Ruess and Means have acknowledged the frustration of that period, noting that while the timing was disastrous, it ultimately allowed them to create new music rather than simply touring on old hits.
Background and Context
Formed in Arizona in 2002, The Format was often cited as a band ahead of its time, blending 60s pop sensibilities with indie rock before the genre exploded into the mainstream. Their second album, Dog Problems (2006), was released independently after a fallout with Atlantic Records and is now considered a cult classic.
Following the 2008 breakup, their paths diverged sharply. Ruess formed fun., winning Grammys and scoring global hits like “We Are Young.” Means stayed in Arizona, launching the successful merchandise company Hello Merch and releasing solo material. The disparity in their post-band profiles could have been a source of tension, yet both insist their relationship never wavered.
A Creative Renaissance
Unlike many nostalgia acts that stick to playing “the hits,” The Format’s 2025-2026 return includes a full creative rebirth. The upcoming album Boycott Heaven marks their first new collection of music in nearly 20 years. In recent interviews, the duo described the recording process as organic, born from the simple desire to hang out and make noise together again.
“We had to finish them together,” Means said of the new tracks, emphasizing that the project felt like a natural evolution rather than a forced attempt to recapture their youth. As they prepare to release Boycott Heaven, the narrative surrounding The Format remains focused on two friends who, after surviving the wringer of the music industry, found their way back to the garage where it all started.
