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.”

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 the album 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.”

Artists

Jared Hart

Brian Fallon