News

Brian Fallon announces first album in five years, Not Bad For New Jersey, and releases single Pearls

“There was so much childlike joy in writing and recording all these songs," Brian Fallon reveals as he gears up for new solo album Not Bad For New Jersey and shares the new single Pearls.

Brian fallon danny clinch
Words:
Emma Wilkes
Photo:
Danny Clinch

Brian Fallon is back with a new album, Not Bad For New Jersey, which marks his first LP of original music in over five years.

The record will arrive onto streaming services via Lesser Known Records on September 10, while physical editions will hit shelves a day later on September 11.

“From the beginning I knew I had to fully lean into the passion and lunacy of all these songs I felt inspired by – there wasn’t much room for subtlety,” Brian says. “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.”

Accompanying the announcement is the release of Pearls, a single that finds The Gaslight Anthem’s vocalist appealing to those born into privilege.

“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,” says Brian. “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.”

Check it out below:

Brian’s recent singles Not Bad For New Jersey and Better Before have also made the tracklist. There’s also an exciting stack of collaborations on it too, with guest features from The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, guitar legend Marc Ribot and country singer Lori McKenna.

“Not Bad for New Jersey is my way of celebrating what I do and where I’m from,” he says of the former song. “I wrote that song looking back on my life the way you do after almost ending up in a crash - like, ‘How did I make it through that?’ I really could’ve busted myself open somewhere along the way, but somehow I’m still here and I’m still in one piece.”

Track listing:

  1. Not Bad for New Jersey

  2. Better Before

  3. Pearls

  4. The Big Sleep (feat. Donovan Woods)

  5. On Good Terms (feat. Lori McKenna)

  6. Nobody Likes You in NYC

  7. Love at the End of the World (feat. Brandon Flowers)

  8. Somewhere You Shouldn’t Be (feat. Phil Collen)

  9. Fading on Me

  10. Walkin’ Through the Garden

  11. Wolf by the River (feat. Marc Ribot)

And here’s the artwork:

Brian fallon album artwork

Check out more:

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