Brian Fallon - Not Bad For New Jersey (Album Review)
Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Written by Jack Press
Photo: Danny Clinch
Since The Gaslight Anthem reunited in 2022, the line separating Brian Fallon’s solo work from the band that made his name has become increasingly blurred. Their 2023 comeback LP ‘History Books’ reopened the door to the band’s punk-fuelled heartland rock after nearly a decade away, and ‘Not Bad For New Jersey’ has Fallon strolling straight through it.
The title track barrels out on Eric Slick’s tumbling drums, its champagne keys and wine-stained riffs turning Fallon’s familiar Springsteen-isms into something warm rather than worn out. Butch Walker's production helps, giving each instrument enough room to swagger without polishing away the bar-room scruff around the edges, while Fallon sounds increasingly comfortable letting his weathered voice crack through the sheen.
Better Before doses up on that confidence, pairing The Police’s new wave textures with a sense of pomp and Bon Jovi-sized solos. It also boasts a chorus so anthemic it could’ve been ripped from The Gaslight Anthem’s most muscular record, ‘Handwritten’.
It is shamelessly familiar while also being one of the best solo songs Fallon has delivered, with loneliness, dependency and regret dressed up as something built to be screamed back at him.
That tension between bruised lyrics and buoyant arrangements keeps resurfacing. Pearls turns vulnerability into a firm goodbye, The Big Sleep mistakes numbness for recovery, while Nobody Likes You In NYC and Somewhere You Shouldn’t Be push everything harder. The latter song’s indulgence, assisted by Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, symbolises the lyrics’ self-destructive devotion.
For all its strengths, though, ‘Not Bad For New Jersey’ is a pretty cosy affair. When Fallon does step outside his comfort zone the results are telling. Walkin’ Through The Garden, for example, pairs some of his sharpest biblical imagery to date with bluesy near-spoken-word. It’s an interesting experiment that never really develops enough momentum, but Wolf By The River’s garage-rock menace and gothic murder-ballad violence crack the record open.
‘Not Bad For New Jersey’ is strongest when Fallon finds fresh feeling inside familiar shapes, but this song suggests there is still more to gain when he abandons them entirely. His most straightforward solo record may contain some of his finest songs, but its most thrilling moment proves that playing it safe might not be something that he continues to entertain in future.
Brian Fallon Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue September 15 2026 - BUFFALO New York - Town Ballroom (USA)
Wed September 16 2026 - MILLVALE Pennsylvania - Mr Smalls Theatre (USA)
Fri September 18 2026 - DETROIT Michigan - El Club (USA)
Sun September 20 2026 - MILWAUKEE Wisconsin - Rave Hall (USA)
Tue September 22 2026 - MINNEAPOLIS Minnesota - Varsity Theater (USA)
Thu September 24 2026 - DENVER Colorado - Oriental Theater (USA)
Sat September 26 2026 - PORTLAND Oregon - Get Down (USA)
Sun September 27 2026 - SEATTLE Washington - Neumos (USA)
Tue September 29 2026 - SAN FRANCISCO California - Rickshaw Stop (USA)
Wed September 30 2026 - ROSEVILLE California - Goldfield Trading Post (USA)
Thu October 01 2026 - SANTA ANA California - Observatory Orange County (USA)
Sat October 03 2026 - SAN DIEGO California - Casbah (USA)
Sun October 04 2026 - PHOENIX Arizona - Crescent Ballroom (USA)
Tue October 06 2026 - AUSTIN Texas - Mohawk Outdoor Stage (USA)
Wed October 07 2026 - DALLAS Texas - Trees (USA)
Fri October 09 2026 - ATLANTA Georgia - Center Stage The Loft (USA)
Sat October 10 2026 - CARRBORO North Carolina - Cats Cradle (USA)
Sun October 11 2026 - WASHINGTON District Of Columbia - Black Cat (USA)
Tue October 13 2026 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - World Cafe Live Music Hall (USA)
Mon November 02 2026 - COLOGNE Live Music Hall (Germany)
Tue November 03 2026 - MUNICH Kesselhaus (Germany)
Wed November 04 2026 - BERLIN ASTRA Kulturhaus (Germany)
Fri November 06 2026 - HAMBURG Fabrik (Germany)
Sat November 07 2026 - ANTWERP Trix Club (Belgium)
Sun November 08 2026 - AMSTERDAM Paradiso (Netherlands)
Tue November 10 2026 - LONDON O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Wed November 11 2026 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Fri November 13 2026 - DUBLIN Olympia Theatre
Sun November 15 2026 - GLASGOW QMU
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