Brian Fallon is doing what Brian Fallon does best — writing heart-on-sleeve rock and roll that makes you feel like you can outrun your worst decisions. The Gaslight Anthem frontman has officially announced his new solo album, Not Bad For New Jersey, arriving digitally on Thursday, September 10 via his own Lesser Known Records, with a physical release the following day on Friday, September 11. It’s his first original solo LP in more than five years, and by the sound of the songs he’s rolling out, the wait was worth every restless minute.

To mark the announcement, Fallon has shared the new single “Pearls,” a heavy-hearted but ultimately triumphant song aimed squarely at those born into privilege — though, characteristically, without a shred of bitterness. “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 says. “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.” It’s classic Fallon: gutter-poet philosophy delivered with a fist raised high.

Produced by longtime collaborator Butch Walker (Green Day, Jesse Malin, Taylor Swift) at Walker’s studio just outside Nashville, Not Bad For New Jersey is a frenetic collision of power pop and heartland rock. Cut mostly live with Walker handling bass, piano, and backing vocals alongside drummer Eric Slick (Dr. Dog, Robyn Hitchcock, Adrian Belew), the record leans hard into the passion and lunacy Fallon has been chasing since his earliest days. He cites Bryan Adams’ “Run to You” and The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” as key touchstones — a tell that this one is built for the rafters. “There was so much childlike joy in writing and recording all these songs,” Fallon says. “The whole album came together so naturally, with a level of creative fulfillment I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.”

The guest list is a jaw-dropper. The Killers’ Brandon Flowers turns up on the quietly hypnotic “Love at the End of the World.” Def Leppard guitar hero Phil Collen shreds his way through “Somewhere You Shouldn’t Be.” Avant-garde legend Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull) lends his unmistakable playing to “Wolf by the River.” GRAMMY-winning country songwriter Lori McKenna sings on “On Good Terms,” and Juno winner Donovan Woods appears on “The Big Sleep” and co-wrote the wrenching “Better Before.” Then there’s “Nobody Likes You in NYC,” a blistering punk serenade to Dee Dee Ramone written from the perspective of his ex-wife Vera Boldis — because of course it is.

Fallon previewed the record last month with the ragged, homesick title track “Not Bad for New Jersey” and the aforementioned “Better Before.” “‘Not Bad for New Jersey’ is my way of celebrating what I do and where I’m from,” Fallon says. “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.”

Backed by his band The Painkillers, Fallon is launching a tight run of intimate club shows to celebrate the new music, kicking off June 14 at Asbury Park’s hallowed Stone Pony (sold out), followed by Nashville’s The Basement East (June 16), West Hollywood’s Troubadour (June 20, sold out), and Chicago’s Reggies’ Rock Club (June 22, sold out). Emily Wolfe opens all four dates. Brian Fallon & The Painkillers will also join the star-studded lineup at Riot Fest 2026, taking place September 18–20 at Chicago’s Douglass Park.

Not Bad For New Jersey is available for pre-order and pre-save now. Watch and listen at Brian Fallon’s official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@brianfallonofficial

Tracklist — Not Bad For New Jersey:
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)