February found Johnny Marr admitting to “writing a lot on [his] own” during a lull in Cribs related activity, but now the A.V. Club is reporting that the ex-Smiths guitarist is officially an ex-Cribs guitarist, too. The 47-year-old was part of the group for three years, and they only put out one album (2009’s Ignore the Ignorant) together, but Marr told Billboard Magazine that he’s been working on new solo songs and plans to put out two records over “the next year or so.”

Marr – whose work on the Inception soundtrack landed him a Golden Globe nomination – also said that he plans on doing more soundtrack work and that there were no ill feelings towards The Cribs’ other members (who all happen to be brothers) at all. “Touring and recording with Ryan, Gary, and Ross has been fantastic, and Ignore the Ignorant is something I’m really proud of,” he said. “We ended up doing more than we originally set out to, and I’ve made three good friends.”

The Jarman brothers have also commented on their split with Marr, as NME has pointed out that the boys took to their official website to explain why “The Cribs are gonna be a three-piece again.” Their statement echoes Marr’s sentiment about the band accomplishing more than they originally set out to do, adding that they were also extremely proud of the work they accomplished with Marr, who they “very much” considered a full-time member of the band. They confirmed that the foursome had went into the studio with Edwyn Collins – who produced and played keyboards on The Cribs’ 2005 release, New Fellas – but that sessions didn’t really work out.

In the meantime, the Jarmans have expressed excitement about the new phase of their careers and have revealed that the band is actually putting new, lo-fi embracing, songs together. “Right now we are in Portland demoing in Gary’s basement, and it feels so liberating,” they said. “We are back in our usual environment and feeling good about it – we’ve got everything we need.”

Fans can check out the Cribs’ new lineup on one of their European festival dates listed below. Ticketing information is available here.

The Cribs 2011 Tour Dates:
05/21 – Cheshire, UK @ Friends of Mine Festival
06/11 – Scotland, UK @ Rockness Festival
06/12 – London, UK @ Get Loaded In The Park
07/30 – Carnforth, UK @ Kendall Calling Festival