Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij has announced that he has parted ways with the New York band.
Guitarist/keyboardist Batmanglij (pictured on the far left in the above photo) was a founding member of the group, who formed in 2006 and have released three albums to date.
Posting a statement to Twitter, Batmanglij said that while he was “no longer a member” of Vampire Weekend, he would still “continue to collaborate on future projects” and “future Vampire Weekend songs” with frontman Ezra Koenig.
The musician said that his departure will allow his “identity as a songwriter and producer” to “stand on its own”.
“I can’t even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own and with others, I hold it all sacred,” the statement continued.
“There is so much amazing music—all of it dear to me— on its way to you. It’s an exciting time and I feel lucky to share it with you”.
— Rostam (@matsoR) January 26, 2016
Vampire Weekend released their third album ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’ in 2013. Since then members of the band have pursued collaborative projects outside of the group, most notably frontman Ezra Koenig working with Karen O and Major Lazer. Bassist Chris Baio also released a solo album in 2015.
Speaking last year, Koenig said a fourth Vampire Weekend album will happen, though an arrival date is some way off. He also suggested that older material that was deemed not right for previous albums could make its way onto album number four.