Alt-J have confirmed that their bass guitar player Gwil Sainsbury is leaving the band.
The announcement was made this afternoon through the band’s official Twitter page, although no reason was given for the bassist’s departure.
No further comment has been provided on whether the band will continue, or if a replacement will step in.
With regret, Gwil is leaving alt-J. This is purely a personal decision and as our best friend we support him completely.
— Δ (alt-J) (@alt_J) January 11, 2014
The band formed when the four members met at Leeds University in 2007. They went on to release their critically acclaimed debut album An Awesome Wave in 2012, which was declared the winner of the Mercury Award later that year. It was also rated as the best album of 2012 by readers of The Edge.
Although the band have not released any new music since their debut, it was widely believed that they would record a new album in November following the end of a busy period of touring.
12/01/2014 UPDATE: The band have now released a statement saying: “The three remaining members of alt-J – Joe, Gus and Thom – and all at Infectious Music give their full support to Gwil and wish him only the very best for the future. Both alt-J and Infectious would like to reassure fans that the band remain excited about the future and are set to return to the studio very soon to begin work on the follow up to 2012’s Barclaycard Mercury Prize-winning An Awesome Wave.”
Listen to the band’s single ‘Breezeblocks’ below.
