The Wrens’ Charles Bissell has announced that he has left the band and launched a new solo project, Car Colors.
The co-frontman of the New Jersey indie rock band is set to launch his new solo project on November 17 with lead single ‘Old Death‘.
It will mark both his first new music in 20 years and the end of his time with The Wrens, who formed in 1989.
The single will arrive with B-sides ‘And It’s All Guns and Arrows’ and ‘I’ll Bear’, while ‘Old Death’ has been described in press materials as his “life as The Odyssey disguised as a pop album”.
The new three-track single is available to pre-order/pre-save on Bandcamp. The full LP, meanwhile, is slated for a 2024 release.
While an Instagram post shared to The Wrens’ profile this weekend appeared to signal the end of the band, a new statement shared with Pitchfork by Aeon Station – aka The Wrens bassist/vocalist Kevin Whelan, his brother Greg and Jerry MacDonald – disputes the idea that Bissell’s departure signals the group’s disbandment.
“Though Charles has decided to leave the band, it does not mean that the band has broken up,” the statement read. “3/4 of The Wrens continue to work together writing, recording music, and playing shows as Aeon Station. Who knows what the future may hold for The Wrens.
“The other Wrens wish Charles success on his solo project. Thank you to everyone who has supported the band through the years.”
In 2021, Kevin Whelan announced that he was leaving the Wrens to release his debut album as Aeon Station following a band fallout.
Bissell has signed to The Wrens’ former label, Absolutely Kosher, for his upcoming releases.
Back in December, Bissell confirmed that he had a new album coming out via Sub Pop which would be the long-awaited follow-up to the band’s 2003 cult classic ‘The Meadowlands’.
Bissell’s announcement also comes after he shared a candid blog post about his mental health. “So if my sharing some of this can help anyone at all, and possibly go in some small measure towards removing even just a little/more of the stigma around all this, then this feels like my one chance and avenue to put some good, something positive, out there in the world,” he said.
Back in 2016, Bissell revealed that he was battling cancer. He shared later that year that he was in remission.
