Brendan Lukens to sit out of Modern Baseball’s European tour to focus on mental health

Modern Baseball is heading across the pond with Thin Lips and The Superweaks — but they’re making the run a member short, as guitarist / vocalist Brendan Lukens announced today he was not joining the band on the European tour to focus on his mental health.

Here’s his full statement, posted via the band’s Instagram.

Hello fam – Bren here, I have some unexpected news. I will not be joining Modern Baseball on the upcoming Europe / UK tour. I am okay — but I need this time at home to focus on my mental and physical health. The band will continue on with the tour thanks to help from mega friends Thins Lips, Superweaks and all the MOBO crew. This was an incredibly hard decision for me, and it was even harder confronting myself and the band about how I am feeling. Still, I know it’s what I need right now. I can never thank MOBO and our crew enough for taking on the roles they have to support me. I love y’all very much. Mental illness is very serious and should never be taken lightly. It’s a long journey to understanding and coping with your illness but I have so much faith in y’all, and myself. If you or a friend ever feels lonely, depressed, sad, confused, whatever here are some crisis hotlines you can call. Again, I love y’all very much💗 More US & International Hotlines @ Buddy-project.org/hotlines/ Or Google search crisis hotlines

A photo posted by Modern Baseball (@modernbaseball) on Jan 25, 2017 at 9:16am PST

MoBo’s documentary “Tripping in the Dark”, released last year, detailed Luken’s struggle with depression and bipolar disorder, which is also reflected in his half of MoBo’s newest record Holy Ghost. I unconditionally love how open this band is about mental illnesses and Bren, the strength you have is unfathomable. We love you, buddy.