Janet Weiss, the drummer of Sleater-Kinney, has announced her surprise departure from the band after 24 years.
In a statement on Twitter, Weiss said: “After intense deliberation and with heavy sadness, I have decided to leave Sleater-Kinney. The band is heading in a new direction and it is time for me to move on. I will never forget the heights we reached, or the magnificent times Corin, Carrie and I shared.
“We were a force of nature. To the dearest SK fans – you’re the raddest fans in the universe and I love you. Experiencing the music together has been the honor of a lifetime. Thank you for sustaining me the past 24 years and for proving without a doubt that love and connection are what saves us.”
Big changes. pic.twitter.com/PWWHMWDLU9
— Janet Weiss (@jazzzhand) July 1, 2019
The announcement comes with the new Sleater-Kinney album just a month away. ‘The Center Won’t Hold’ is out in August, and is produced by St. Vincent.
The band revealed that they’d been in the studio with Annie Clark earlier this year and had been teasing fans on social media about their first new music since 2015’s acclaimed ‘No Cities To Love.’
The first single from the album was ‘Hurry On Home’, which appeared in May followed by ‘The Future Is Here’ which was released on June 14.
Meanwhile, the remaining members of Sleater-Kinney will embark on a UK and Ireland tour next year where they’ll play dates in London, Manchester and Dublin.
Sleater-Kinney live dates 2020:
FEBRUARY
26 – O2 Academy Brixton, London
27 – Manchester Academy, Manchester
28 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
MARCH
1 – Vicar Street, Dublin