By Ryan Louis Mantilla

 

After eight long years, Charles Leslie "Les" Priest departed with LANY to focus on his other endeavors.

American indie rock band LANY announced on Twitter that Priest has decided to leave the act to fully invest in his career as a writer and producer in Nashville, Tennessee.

The band also initially disclosed that they were writing songs and preparing for a new album.

"Hello, family! We're writing songs and making a new album and feel so energized about the future," Klein and Goss shared on Twitter. "As we move into a beautiful year of music and touring, we wanted to share that our brother Les has decided to leave the band to focus on life as a writer/producer in Nashville," they added.

The two members acknowledged Les for being a part of the band and "for building LANY" with them "into what it is today."

Further, the Los Angeles-based band assured fans that no one could take Priest's place and revealed that they would continue as a duo.

"No one will ever be able to replace him, so LANY will continue as just us — Paul and Jake," the band disclosed.

Meanwhile, Les Priest also expressed his gratitude for the eight years he spent with the band and considered it a "gift" for being a part of LANY.

"8 years ago, I was blessed beyond measure with friendship and opportunity. Being in LANY was a true gift. A gift with many ups and downs, joys and heartaches," Priest shared in a heartfelt Instagram post.

Les explained that he's leaving the band to spend more time and effort in "the other areas" of his life.

"There is a time and place for everything. Now is the time for a new chapter. I'm parting ways to invest more fully in the other areas of my life. Thank you to everyone who played a part in this experience. Love, Les." Priest wrote.

To celebrate Priest's time with the act, the band re-released their 'JAKES LES PAUL' tee's on Apr. 7, available for 48 hours only. The t-shirt is available for purchase on LANY MERCH.

"Los Angeles New York," most commonly known as LANY, started in 2014 with Les Priest on guitar and backup vocals, Jake Goss on drums and percussion, and Paul Klein on lead vocals and piano.

The pop-rock trio received rapid success in 2015 with their hit single "ILYSB" and soon released four highly regarded albums: 'LANY' in 2017, 'Malibu Nights' in 2018, 'Mama's Boy' in 2020, and 'gg bb xx' in 2021, which marked Priest's last album in the band.