Christopher Owens, the skinny indie pin-up and primary songwriter of cult San Franciscans Girls (the band, not the TV show), has made the announcement that he’ll be leaving the band he helped found.
According to The Fader, the news first broke in a series of tweets, in which Owens stated:
“Dear all, this may come as a surprise to many and has been an issue of much thought for me. My decision was not easy to make. I am leaving Girls. My reasons at this time are personal. I need to do this in order to progress. I will continue to write and record music. More will be announced soon. I thank you all for everything. Sincerely – Christopher.”
As part of a core duo that formed the band, Owens’ departure essentially leaves bassist and producer, Chet ‘JR’ White holding the bag. Or at least faced with the decision of continuing to tour under the Girls moniker with their rotating tour lineup.
White and Owens formed the band in California after the latter absconded from the fundamentalist cult, The Children of God, that he was born and raised in until the age of 16. Together as Girls, the pair recorded their debut in 2009, simply called Album with the Broken Dreams Club EP following a year later.
Last year saw the release of Father, Son and Holy Ghost which was their most critically acclaimed release, appearing on a number of year-end lists including the likes of UK’s Q Magazine and ranking #4 in Pitchfork‘s much coveted ‘Top Albums of the Year’ listing.
