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Nick Valensi, a longtime guitarist for The Strokes and one of the band's original members, has exited their upcoming 2026 tour for an unspecific amount of time.
"Nick will be taking a temporary break from the scheduled tour, but we look forward to his return," a message posted to the group's Instagram story read, per Pitchfork.
Though no reason for his exit was given, the band announced he'd be replaced by Longwave frontman Steve Schiltz, "who many of you will remember from our early NY days."
Notably, Valensi was also absent when the rockers performed their new single "Falling Out of Love" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Friday (May 15). Watch it here.
The 37-date world tour, aptly named after their upcoming new album, Reality Awaits, kicks off June 12 and runs through October. Slated for release on June 26, the new LP marks the rockers' seventh studio album.
In April, frontman Julian Casablancas and his bandmates, including Valensi, took the stage at Coachella, for the first time in 15 years.