Merrick Ales/FilmMagicVampire Weekend guitarist/keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij has left the band. In a statement posted on Twitter, Batmanglij says that he's "no longer a member of [Vampire Weekend]," but he plans to continue working with frontman Ezra Koenig on "future projects [and] future VW songs."
"My identity as a songwriter [and] producer, I realized, needs to stand on its own," Batmanglij writes. "Still connected to the [people] I work with, but through the songs we make together."
Earlier this month, Batmanglij released a new song called "EOS" under his solo moniker, Rostam. He's planning to release more solo material this year.
"I can't even begin to express the joy I get from writing songs, both on my own [and] with others," Batmanglij writes. "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," he concludes. "And I feel lucky to share it with you."
Vampire Weekend's last album, which Batmanglij co-produced, was 2013's Modern Vampires of the City.
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