Brian Fallon will release Not Bad for New Jersey on September 10th. Pre-orders are up.
Brian Fallon is proud to announce his eagerly awaited new album, Not Bad For New Jersey, arriving via his own Lesser Known Records at all DSPs and streaming services on Thursday, September 10; physical release follows on Friday, September 11. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now. Fallon’s first original solo LP in more than five years, Not Bad For New Jersey, is heralded by today’s premiere of “Pearls,” a heavy-hearted but ultimately triumphant track addressed to those born into privilege, available everywhere now. “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 Fallon. “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.” LISTEN TO “PEARLS” PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE NOT BAD FOR NEW JERSEY Produced by longtime collaborator Butch Walker (Green Day, Jesse Malin, Taylor Swift) at Walker’s studio just outside Nashville, Not Bad For New Jersey sees Fallon summoning up a frenetic collision of power pop and heartland rock, the perfect sonic counterpart to the hot-blooded sincerity that has driven his songwriting for close to three decades. The veteran rocker is joined by a number of very special guests, including The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, avant-garde guitar legend Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull), and GRAMMY® Award-winning country luminary Lori McKenna. Tracked mostly live in a series of freewheeling sessions with Walker (who handled bass, piano, backing vocals, and more) and drummer Eric Slick (Dr. Dog, Robyn Hitchcock, Adrian Belew), songs like the quietly hypnotic “Love at the End of the World (feat. Brandon Flowers)” and the blistering punk of “Nobody Likes You in New York City” (a strangely tender serenade to Dee Dee Ramone, penned from the point of view of his ex-wife Vera Boldis) are fueled by the same rapturous abandon that has long animated Fallon’s songcraft, indelibly shaped by an underdog’s perspective and a lifelong devotion to following true feeling wherever it leads, even when the outcome is uncertain. “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,” says Fallon, citing Bryan Adams’ “Run to You” and The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” as key touchstones. “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.” Fallon preceded today’s announcement with last month’s unveiling of two standout tracks from the new album, “Not Bad for New Jersey” and “Better Before,” both available everywhere now. “Better Before” – co-written with his close friend, Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter Donovan Woods – relates a tortured portrait of unraveling romance, while “Not Bad for New Jersey” serves as a gloriously ragged homage to Fallon’s beloved home state and all the grit it instilled in him. “‘Not Bad for New Jersey’ is my way of celebrating what I do and where I’m from,” says Brian Fallon. “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.” LISTEN TO “NOT BAD FOR NEW JERSEY” + “BETTER BEFORE” Fallon – backed by his band, The Painkillers – will mark the arrival of his new music with a series of intimate live performances, beginning June 14 at Asbury Park, NJ’s world renowned The Stone Pony and then visiting Nashville, TN’s The Basement (June 16), West Hollywood, CA’s historic Troubadour (June 20), and Chicago, IL’s Reggies’ Rock Club (June 22). Support on all four dates comes from special guest Emily Wolfe. In addition, Brian Fallon & The Painkillers will be among the star-studded lineup at the upcoming Riot Fest 2026, happening September 18-20 at Chicago, IL’s Douglass Park. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.brianfallon.net/tour. Last week saw Fallon offering up a distinctive rendition of Johnny Cash’s classic “Ring of Fire” at Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us – Celebrating 250 Years of American Music, a once-in-a-lifetime concert event at West Long Branch, NJ’s OceanFirst Bank Center on the campus of Monmouth University, commemorating both America’s semiquincentennial as well as the grand opening of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University.