Brian Fallon will release his first solo album in more than five years this September, with Not Bad For New Jersey featuring guest appearances from Brandon Flowers, Phil Collen, Lori McKenna and Marc Ribot.
by Paul Cashmere
Brian Fallon has announced Not Bad For New Jersey, his first album of original solo material in more than five years. The singer-songwriter and frontman of The Gaslight Anthem will release the record digitally through his own Lesser Known Records on 10 September, with physical editions arriving a day later. The announcement arrives alongside the release of the new single Pearls and ahead of a short run of intimate US performances with his band The Painkillers.
The album marks a significant return to Fallon’s solo career after spending recent years balancing work with The Gaslight Anthem and his own projects. Not Bad For New Jersey arrives at a time when veteran rock songwriters are increasingly turning to independent releases and self-directed creative models, allowing artists to work outside traditional label structures while maintaining established audiences.
The album also brings together an eclectic group of collaborators from across rock, country and alternative music. Among the featured guests are Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, acclaimed songwriter Lori McKenna and avant-garde guitarist Marc Ribot. Their involvement reflects the broad musical influences that have informed Fallon’s songwriting throughout his career.
Produced by longtime collaborator Butch Walker at his studio near Nashville, the album was largely recorded live with Walker and drummer Eric Slick. Walker contributed bass, piano and backing vocals across the sessions, helping shape a collection that Fallon says was built around instinct and enthusiasm rather than restraint.
The newly released single Pearls explores themes of privilege, self-worth and resilience. Fallon described the song as an examination of personal struggle and the value of perseverance.
“I’ve never been one to resent anybody for having certain advantages in life, and I don’t think there’s anything inherently pure in having to struggle,” Fallon said. “But I do think there’s real value in overcoming the odds stacked against you, because getting to the point of feeling like you’re actually worth something is one of the toughest mountains to climb.”
Among the album’s other tracks is Love At The End Of The World, featuring Brandon Flowers, while Nobody Likes You In NYC takes inspiration from Dee Dee Ramone and is written from the perspective of his former wife Vera Boldis. Fallon has cited Bryan Adams’ Run To You and The Police classic Every Breath You Take among the musical touchstones that influenced the project.
“From the beginning I knew I had to fully lean into the passion and lunacy of all these songs I felt inspired by,” Fallon said. “There was so much childlike joy in writing and recording all these songs. The whole album came together so naturally, with a level of creative fulfillment I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.”
The album follows the release of two earlier tracks, Better Before and the title track Not Bad For New Jersey. Better Before was co-written with Canadian singer-songwriter Donovan Woods and examines the collapse of a relationship, while the title song reflects on Fallon’s upbringing and career through the lens of his home state.
“Not Bad For New Jersey is my way of celebrating what I do and where I’m from,” Fallon said. “I wrote that song looking back on my life the way you do after almost ending up in a crash. I really could’ve busted myself open somewhere along the way, but somehow I’m still here, and I’m still in one piece.”
Fallon’s connection to New Jersey has remained central to both his solo work and his output with The Gaslight Anthem. Since emerging from the New Brunswick scene in the mid-2000s, he has built a reputation for songs rooted in working-class experiences, personal reflection and American rock traditions. His solo catalogue, including Painkillers, Sleepwalkers and Local Honey, has often explored more intimate themes than his band recordings while retaining the storytelling approach that has defined his writing.
The announcement comes shortly after Fallon performed Johnny Cash’s Ring Of Fire at Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us, a concert celebrating 250 years of American music and the opening of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University in New Jersey. The appearance reinforced Fallon’s standing within a lineage of American songwriters whose work draws heavily from place, identity and tradition.
With Not Bad For New Jersey arriving in September and festival appearances already scheduled, Fallon appears set to devote significant attention to his solo career over the coming months. The album reunites him with trusted collaborators while introducing new creative partnerships, offering the next chapter in a career that now spans nearly three decades.
Tracklisting:
Not Bad For New Jersey
Better Before
Pearls
The Big Sleep (Feat. Donovan Woods)
On Good Terms (Feat. Lori McKenna)
Nobody Likes You In NYC
Love At The End Of The World (Feat. Brandon Flowers)
Somewhere You Shouldn’t Be (Feat. Phil Collen)
Fading On Me
Walkin’ Through The Garden
Wolf By The River (Feat. Marc Ribot)
Brian Fallon & The Painkillers Live 2026
14 June 2026, Asbury Park, The Stone Pony
16 June 2026, Nashville, The Basement East
20 June 2026, West Hollywood, Troubadour
22 June 2026, Chicago, Reggies’ Rock Club
18 September 2026, Chicago, Riot Fest 2026
Ticketing: www.brianfallon.net/tour
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