Three studio albums and eight years of collaboration: that’s how long the Columbia University indie group, Vampire Weekend, had all four of its original members. Everything changed on Tuesday, however, when Rostam Batmanglij announced his departure via Twitter. Batmanglij, who is mainly responsible for the unique musical qualities of the band’s work, says that he will continue to collaborate with frontman Ezra Koenig, and has contributed to the band’s upcoming fourth studio album. Though he and Koenig have agreed that their partnership isn’t dependent upon being in a band together, any chance of seeing them tour as a group can be dashed.
“My identity as a songwriter + producer, I realized, needs to stand on its own,” he wrote on Twitter. “Still connected to the [people] I work with, but through the songs we make together.”
Batmanglij has also noted that he would prefer to be seen as an electronic artist, an identity that is difficult to sustain within the context of Vampire Weekend. Still, both he and other members of the band have stated through various social media platforms that both parties will continue to make music together and that this in no way affects their friendship.
“In fact, we agreed that our collaboration was more important,” Koenig wrote on Instagram shortly after the musician’s announcement to leave.
The composer’s contributions to the band are prominent on each album. Vampire Weekend’s debut self-titled record, which came out in 2008, featured his string sections and African-inspired beats that would grow to be one of the most-loved facets of the band’s music. On their second studio album, “Contra,” Batmanglij continued to develop the band’s familiar sound, though this time he contributed back-up vocals, as well as singing bridge of the penultimate song of the album, “Diplomat’s Son.” Their third and most successful album, “Modern Vampires of the City,” closes with a coda in which he sings, mixed to be heavily faded and in a repeating loop, “you take your time / young lion.” For most fans, a future without him is unimaginable.
Batmanglij’s other work includes a collaborative project with Ra Ra Riot’s Wesley Miles called “Discovery,” which produced an album in 2009 named “LP.” He also created the classical-inspired score to the recent Broadway play “This is Our Youth,” and on the pop front, has producing credentials with artists such as Charli XCX and Carly Rae Jepsen. Given his ability to work throughout multiple genres, it’s easy to picture him as the mind behind the band’s decision to pair out-of-place instruments — such as a harpsichord — with the pop beats familiar to Vampire Weekend’s sound.
The remaining members of the band — Koenig, Chris Baio and Chris Tomson — are staying together to work on the next album, which they will likely begin recording within the next few months. “Working title is ‘Mistubishi Macchiato’ … for obvious reasons,” Koenig said on Instagram. Though it’s ambiguous as to whether or not he’s joking about the title, it’s evident that fans can expect new material soon. Meanwhile, Koenig and Baio will be playing at a Bernie Sanders Iowa rally this weekend. It’ll be strange to see the band without an original member, but it’s a comfort that they’re staying together and — with Batmanglij’s collaboration — staying true to their sound.
Beyond Vampire Weekend, Batmanglij’s own future as a solo artist looks bright. Under the artist title “Rostam,” he released a single, “Wood,” yesterday, which accompanies a song he dropped earlier this month named “EOS.” “Wood” sounds particularly inspired by traditional Middle-Eastern music, almost certainly a nod to the musician’s Persian roots. Both songs seem to be particularly pensive, drawing back to the tones of Batmanglij’s original recording of the Vampire Weekend hit “Campus,” which he wrote and sang with a string orchestra in a lower tempo. Even though he has departed from one of the most-beloved indie pop bands, Batmanglij is making sure everyone knows that he is nowhere near done with his career.