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Rostam Batmanglij Quits Vampire Weekend

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 08: Musician Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend performs during the 2014 Governors Ball Music Festival at Randall's Island on June 8, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images)

Update: Ezra Koenig has responded to Batmanglij’s departure via Instagram. Read what he has to say below.

A couple years ago, Rostam and I sat down at his house & talked abt whether our collaboration was dependent on being members of the same band. We both firmly agreed that nope, it was not. In fact, we agreed that our collaboration was more important. I’m psyched about the work we’ve already begun for LP4 and I’m psyched to hear anything else Rostam is a part of. Also very excited to continue playing music with CT and Baio but there will be plenty of time to talk about that later in the year. For now in the Vampire Weekend universe, it’s all about recording the next album. There will be a lot of familiar faces in the studio but also some fresh, new ones. Working title is “Mitsubishi Macchiato”…for obvious reasons. Shout-out to the fans who have been waiting for new music – it’s coming. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Also tomorrow, we gotta talk abt Iowa.

A photo posted by Ezra Koenig (@arze) on

Rostam Batmanglij, one of the founding members of Vampire Weekend, has left the group to pursue solo projects, he announced on Twitter today. Rostam, who released a new solo track called “EOS” two weeks ago, wrote that he and Ezra Koenig would “continue to collaborate on future projects + future VW songs,” but that he realized that his “identity as a songwriter + producer” needed to “stand on it’s own.” Read his full statement below.

hi- I wanted to let ppl kno I’m no longer a member of VW but that Ezra and I will continue to collaborate on future projects + future VW songs my identity as a songwriter + producer, I realized, needs to stand on its own. still connectled to the pply I work with, but throught the songs we make together i can’t even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own + with others, I hold it all sacred. 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