“In a decision entirely based upon future musical direction, and with huge sadness, Editors and Chris Urbanowicz have parted ways,” said the band in a statement released today on the Editors website.
Do the not fear boys and girls, Editors will endure. The remaining members – Tom Smith (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Russell Leetch (bass guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals) and Ed Lay (drums, percussion, backing vocals) – will continue as a three-piece to “introduce new elements to Editors sound.”
It’s been ten years since the group first started out in small clubs, making a name for themselves in their town of Birmingham. And with the Editors’ debut album in 2004, The Back Room, the band was on its way to platinum status and a Mercury Prize.
Fans grew both in Europe and stateside as Editors played festivals, from Lollapalooza, at-capacity showcases at SXSW and Colorado’s Monolith Festival, to headlined tours (including a sparsely attended in-store show in 2006 at the now defunct Tower Records before playing a packed-out show at the Bluebird in Denver that evening).
An End Has A Start followed in 2007, receiving a Brit Award, and in 2009 came In This Light and on This Evening.
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Last October a new project for Tom Smith emerged, Smith and Burrows, a collaboration with Andy Burrows from We Are Scientists and Razorlight. The duo released Funny Looking Angles in November of 2011, a lofty album bubbling with organic melodies and introspective piano shadows, moving in mood from sunshine to cloudy with a chance of cold rain. A definite departure from Smith’s other commitment, as one would expect.
Speaking of commitment, Editors state the band is currently working on a fourth album for release in 2012. What that will sound like without Urbanowicz is anyone’s guess, but a hint of a potential change in musical direction appears on its Wikipedia page, “Tom Smith explained the band’s change in direction by saying: ‘If we’d tried to make another more traditional guitar record, I don’t think we’d have got through it… for our own sanity, we had to do something we hadn’t done before.’”
Urbanowicz’s guitar style was core to the Editors’ sound and musical dress, a style that drew fans of new wave and industrial heroes, sliced thin and loud. This “change in direction” may have been the cause in artistic differences and cause for Urbanowicz to move on to his next chapter.
“This was a massively painful decision for all of us to make. We wish Chris the best of luck in his future endeavors, and expect you all to do the same. The parting is amicable and however sad things are right now we all hope we’ll continue to be friends for many years to come.”
