The Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand has been creating music since 2002, and the whole time, Paul Thomson has been their drummer. Today, the band tweeted that Thomson is officially leaving the group.

There are no hard feelings within the group: in their Twitter announcement of this change to the indie band, they showed nothing but appreciation for the drummer’s 20 years with the band. Thomson likewise communicated immense gratitude to fans and the band members he considers family. 

“After nearly 20 years the time has come for this boy to step aside. I never imagined in 2002 that life would have all of this in store,” Thomson wrote. “It’s been like a dream and I’m still processing. I want to thank each of you that bought a record, came to a concert and shared all these experiences with me.”

Fortunately, Franz Ferdinand has already found a talented replacement. According to an article in Brooklyn Vegan, Audrey Tait, who is half of The Girl Who Cried Wolf, is proudly filling Thomson’s role. In the tweets below Thomson quite literally passes the torch — the torch being a drumstick — to the new drummer. 

Hello world. Paul is leaving the band. It was a bit of a shocker for us when we found out, so it probably will be for some of you too. Paul has been our friend for over twenty five years & we’re looking forward to at least another twenty five. He’s a funny, smart, sensitive guy. pic.twitter.com/MEoHsgwLF1

— Franz Ferdinand (@Franz_Ferdinand) October 21, 2021

Franz Ferdinand has released a series of albums since their 2004 hit “Take Me Out,” the most recent being Always Ascending in 2018. “Always Ascending is undeniably fun and even theatrical at times,” mxdwn writer Adrianna Fujii says of the album. “Although Franz Ferdinand originally found their footing as an indie rock band, their talent and experience have been able to propel them into new ground.”

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz