Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij has announced that he is no longer a part of the band. Batmanglij was one of the main songwriters in the group, along with lead singer Ezra Koenig.

In a note Batmanglij posted to Twitter, he expresses his wish to have his “identity” as a songwriter and “producer “stand on its own.” He also promises that his songwriting partnership with Koenig is not over and that he has “so much amazing music” on the way.

Read the full note below:

hi- I wanted to let ppl kno I’m no longer a member of VM but that Ezra and I will continue to collaborate on future projects + future VM songs

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

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 luck to share it with you

Rostam