Rostam Batmanglij, a co-founding member of the indie rock band Vampire Weekend, took to his official Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon to announce his split from the band. Batmanglij, who served as the band's songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, explained the reason for his departure in a message to fans.
"hi - I wanted to let ppl know I'm no longer a member of VW but that Ezra and I will continue to collaborate on future projects + future VW songs," the 32-year-old musician wrote in a note that was posted Twitter, referring to Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig. "my identity as a songwriter + producer, I realized, needs to stand on its own. still connected to the ppl I work with, but through the songs we make together."
Although Batmanglij's tweet was reposted to the band's official Twitter account, Vampire Weekend has yet to make an announcement on its social media pages.
Batmanglij's announcement comes less than two weeks after the release of his new solo track "EOS," which marks the first solo project he's released since 2011, according to Pitchfork, and he opened up about his desire to go solo.
"I'd like to release solo songs on a regular basis, but it's pretty difficult for me to finish them," Batmanglij told Pitchfork. "But I think that may happen this year. That would make me happy."
Vampire Weekend formed in 2006 at Columbia University in New York City, according to the Guardian. The band has released three studio albums, all of which were produced or co-produced by Batmanglij. The band's most recent album is 2013's "Modern Vampires of the City."
Read Batmanglij's full Twitter statement below.
— Rostam Batmanglij (@matsoR) January 26, 2016
