Jan 26, 2016
Using a screenshot posted to Twitter, Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij has announced that he has left the group he co-founded in 2006.
The script claims Batmanglij wants his "identity as a song-writer and producer" to "stand on its own", though it also offers assurance that the musician will continue to work on Vampire Weekend songs with Ezra Koenig, frontman of his now-former band.
He also leaves no room for worry that he has soured on collaborating with other artists, saying "i can't even begin to express the joy i get from writing songs, both on my own + with others, i hold it sacred."
Batmanglij has collaborated with other artists throughout his time in the band, and last year he produced the Carly Rae Jepsen track "Warm Blood." Earlier this month, he shared a solo track of his own titled "EOS," recorded under the simple moniker Rostam.
Vampire Weekend last released Modern Vampires Of The City in 2013, and there's no word yet on when fans can expect a fourth. While Koenig has assured fans it will happen, it'll be interesting to hear what it sounds like without Batmanglij's influential input.
You can listen to Rostam's "EOS" below and "Warm Blood" by Carly Rae Jepsen.