Arcade Fire fans wondering why Will Butler does not appear in the video for the band’s new song “The Lightning I, II” got an explanation on Saturday.
“I’ve left Arcade Fire,” the 39-year-old musician tweeted. “I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete. There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed – and the band has changed – over the last almost 20 years.
“Time for new things.”
Butler said he has been keeping busy with several music projects since leaving the band, which was formed in Montreal.
“Thank you to anyone who’s come out to AF shows, or bought a record, or loves our music,” he wrote. “It’s meaningful to be part of your lives.”
Butler also insisted “the band are still my friends and family.”
Born in California and raised in Texas, Butler moved to Montreal to join his brother Win in Arcade Fire. He has released several solo albums and, in 2014, he and Canadian musician Owen Pallett earned a Best Original Score nomination at the Oscars for their work on Her.
Arcade Fire announced this week that its sixth studio album WE will drop on May 6.