Vampire Weekend’s weak end?

Taylor Railey, Staff Reporter • Feb 1, 2016

Vampire Weekend, one of the most prominent acts in alternative music, experienced a dramatic shift with Rostam Batmanglij announcing on Twitter that he would be leaving the band after 10 years. The announcement came January 26 from Batmanglij’s personal account.

Ezra Koenig, the band’s lead vocalist, and Batmanglij were the songwriting team behind Vampire Weekend, writing three of the band’s critically acclaimed albums together. The group won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2014 for their most recent release, Modern Vampires of the City.

pic.twitter.com/fYqZtwYkCU

— Rostam Batmanglij (@matsoR) January 26, 2016

“Ezra and I will continue to collaborate on future projects”, Batmanglij posted, “and future V[ampire] W[eekend] songs.”

In response to Batmanglij’s departure, Koenig released a short statement via Instagram.

“A couple years ago, Rostam and I sat down at his house and talked about whether our collaboration was dependent on being members of the same band,” Koenig posted, “We both firmly agreed that nope, it was not. In fact, we agreed that our collaboration was more important.”

Batmanglij has produced the band’s first two albums and co-produced the third, but also has written and produced for acts such as Carly Rae Jepsen and Charli XCX.

“My identity as a songwriter and producer, I realized needs to stand on its own,” Batmanglij stated, “still connected to the people I work with, but through the songs we make together.”

“There is so much amazing music–all of it dear to me– on its way to you,” he said.

Batmanglij released a solo single entitled “Wood” on the same label as his former band, XL Recordings, on the day following his departure from the band.

The band, however, will still continue without Batmanglij as a three piece.

“For now in the Vampire Weekend universe, it’s all about recording the next album,” Koenig shared, “There will be a lot of familiar faces in the studio but also some fresh, new ones.”

Fans should be on the lookout for new music from the band, with Koenig stating that “it’s coming.”

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About the Contributor

Taylor Railey, Staff Reporter

Taylor is a senior at NCHS involved in the Normal Peace and Justice club. This is her first year as a staff reporter for the Inkspot. My favorite movie is the 90’s classic, Clueless. I am most inspired by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. On the weekends when I am not writing for the Inkspot, I am most likely to be parting with my poop group. One random fact about me is that I have been a vegetarian for my entire life.