Brandon Flowers, Phil Collen, and more to feature on Brian Fallon's first solo album in five years, Not Bad For New Jersey

Not Bad For New Jersey follows 2021's Night Divine, and is due on on 10 September via Fallon's own Lesser Known Records, with a physical release following on 11 September. It marks his first original solo record in more than five years, with "Pearls" arriving as the latest taster of the new work, following previous singles "Not Bad for New Jersey" and "Better Before".

"Pearls" speaks to people born into privilege, as Fallon explains, “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.”

Not Bad For New Jersey was produced by longtime collaborator Butch Walker (Green Day, Taylor Swift) at his studio outside Nashville. The songs were mostly tracked live with Walker on bass, piano and backing vocals, and Eric Slick (Dr. Dog, Robyn Hitchcock) on drums. The album brings together power pop and heartland rock, with contributions from The Killers’ Brandon Flowers on “Love at the End of the World”, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, avant-garde guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), and country songwriter Lori McKenna.

The album also pulls from classic sources of inspiration. “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, referring to Bryan Adams’ “Run to You” and The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”. “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 fulfilment I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.”

Fallon and his band The Painkillers are currently set to play a run of sold-out intimate shows beginning 14 June at Asbury Park’s Stone Pony, followed by dates in Nashville, West Hollywood and Chicago. They will also appear at Riot Fest 2026 in Chicago this September.

Not Bad For New Jersey artwork

Not Bad For New Jersey tracklist

“Not Bad for New Jersey”
“Better Before”
“Pearls”
“The Big Sleep (feat. Donovan Woods)”
“On Good Terms (feat. Lori McKenna)”
“Nobody Likes You in NYC”
“Love at the End of the World (feat. Brandon Flowers)”
“Somewhere You Shouldn’t Be (feat. Phil Collen)”
“Fading on Me”
“Walkin’ Through the Garden”
“Wolf by the River (feat. Marc Ribot)”