Christopher Owens Leaving Girls: San Francisco Frontman Announces His Departure From Band (VIDEOS)

It's a sad, sad day for the San Francisco music scene.

Girls frontman Christopher Owens, who has entertained us for five years with his brooding ballads and catchy pop-rock tunes, announced this morning via Twitter that he is leaving the band.

His statement, tweeted in three parts, read in full:

Dear all, This may come as a surprise to many & has been an issue of much thought for me. My decision was not easy to make. I am leaving Girls. My reasons at this time are personal. I need to do this in order to progress. I will continue to write & record music. More will be announced soon. I thank you all for everything. Sincerely-Christopher

Owens and his counterpart, Chet "JR" White, have produced two full-length albums together to wide acclaim: 2009's breakout Album and last year's Father, Son, Holy Ghost (which HuffPost SF deemed one of the top five Bay Area albums of the year).

In an exclusive interview with HuffPost SF in May, Owens talked excitedly about his plans for a third album. "When you get so many offers to play shows, it's hard to schedule out the time to record," he said. "But basically as soon as possible. As soon as we can find a little break."

White has yet to issue a public response to Owens' announcement.

At the very least, we know Owens loves his City by the Bay -- so we'll be eagerly waiting to hear about his next project and hope to see him playing music around town soon.

Take a look at some of our favorite Girls songs below. Farewell to a truly great San Francisco band. And good luck with whatever comes next, Chris.