Rockers DIIV have axed their upcoming European tour because frontman Zachary Cole Smith has grown tired of life on the road.

The group, which recently performed at the South by Southwest (Sxsw) music festival in Texas, was due to make appearances at a number of similar events across Europe this summer (13), but the rockers have pulled the plug on the trek in order to give Smith a break.

He tells NME.com, "I have to be off the road. I've been touring in various formations for three years, and the past year of my life has been completely given over to being on the road... As an artist, the biggest, most important reason for me to do this is to write and create. That then becomes the thing that falls by the wayside because you have to keep all this other stuff going.

"There's always this thing when bands cancel tours that they make this grand apology, like they've betrayed their audience so deeply. 'We will make this up to you, this is the most important month of our lives,' and it comes off as being such bulls**t. I just want to cancel the tour and say to everyone they won't see us next month, but you will see us the month after or at a bunch of other shows."

And he hopes the cancellation will free up the group to record new material: "I've been writing a ton of stuff, in bizarre different circumstances. It feels like the last year has been the most insane of my life so far, moving around, being on tour and doing a lot of writing in different scenarios. The music coming out of it has been pretty bizarre."