Rock
Brian Fallon recruits Brandon Flowers and Phil Collen for new solo album Not Bad For New Jersey
Brian Fallon returns with his first solo album in over five years, unveiling Not Bad For New Jersey alongside the release of his new track Pearls.
Brian Fallon has announced his first original solo album in more than half a decade - featuring huge guest musicians.
The Gaslight Anthem frontman has confirmed that Not Bad For New Jersey will land on streaming September 10, with physical copies arriving the following day via his own Lesser Known Records.
The new single, Pearls, is out now, a bruised but defiant track aimed at those who start life with advantages he never had.
Fallon said: “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.
“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.”
Recorded with longtime producer Butch Walker just outside Nashville, the album leans into a punchy mix of power pop and heartland rock.
Fallon is joined by a stacked guest list: The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, avant‑garde guitar icon Marc Ribot and GRAMMY‑winner Lori McKenna all appear across the record.
He says the sessions were loose, fast and full of energy. “
He explained: "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.
“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.”
Fans have already heard two early tracks - the title song and the heartbreak‑soaked Better Before, co‑written with Donovan Woods.
Fallon says the album’s namesake track is a tribute to the grit that shaped him.
He added: “Not Bad for New Jersey is my way of celebrating what I do and where I’m from.
“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?’… somehow I’m still here and I’m still in one piece.”
Fallon and his band The Painkillers will debut the new material at a run of intimate, already sold‑out shows this month before heading to Riot Fest 2026 in September.
Pre-order or pre-save the album here.
Not Bad For New Jersey tracklisting:
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)
