- Music
- 20 Jan 23
Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman is going on hiatus: "My mental health has rapidly deteriorated"
The lead guitarist's announcement arrives two months before the release of Fall Out Boy's eighth album, So Much (For) Stardust.
Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy is taking a break from the band for mental health reasons, the guitarist informed his followers yesterday.
The announcement was posted to the pop-punk group's Instagram page on January 19th.
"Neil Young once howled that it's better to burn out than to fade away. But I can tell you unequivocally that burning out is dreadful," Trohman wrote.
"Without divulging all the details, I must disclose that my mental health has rapidly deteriorated over the past several years. So, to avoid fading away and never returning, I will be taking a break from work which regrettably includes stepping away from Fall Out Boy for a spell."
"It pains me to make this decision, especially when we are releasing a new album that fills me with great pride (the sin I'm most proud of). So, the question remains: Will I return to the fold? Absolutely, one-hundred percent. In the meantime, I must recover which means putting myself and my mental health first."
"Thank you to everyone, including my bandmates and family, for understanding and respecting this difficult, but necessary, decision."
Fall Out Boy formed in 2001 and have remained at the forefront of the modern rock genre for the past 20 years. Joe Trohman was a founding member of the band alongside bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz and lead vocalist Patrick Stump.
The outfit have made the top 10 singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 four times and have had four number 1 albums on the Billboard 200, include albums Infinity on High, Save Rock and Roll, American Beauty/American Psycho, and Mania.
Throughout it all, Trohman has been upfront with the status of his mental health. In 2021, he started and began hosting the podcast I Hate Myself, which discusses at length the effect of fame on celebrities' mental health with interviews of said "successful-types."
In the description of the podcast, Trohman is described as "a clinically depressed 'man' with over two decades of psychotherapy under his tool-belt."
He also discusses his mental health in his memoir None of This Rocks. The memoir which to the page a larger overview of his childhood, rise to stardom within the punk industry, and struggle with depression, amongst other things.
Trohman expresses "great pride" for Fall Out Boy's new album, So Much (For) Stardust, and regret at the timing of his absence, but promises to return to the music industry when he feels ready.
The guitarists signed off the post with the affectionately joking signage "Smell you sooner than later."
Fall Out Boy's So Much (For) Stardust album drops March 24th. The song 'Love From The Other Side' has already been released ahead of the album.
