The Fat Angel Sings

Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem plans for his debut solo album. Painkillers was released in early 2016 via Island Records in the United States and EMI records in the United Kingdom. The album was recorded in Nashville, TN, in collaboration with Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Frank Turner, Keith Urban).

“I’m overjoyed to be making this solo record,” says Fallon. “And I can’t wait to go out on the road with the new songs I have.

Fallon  heralded Painkillers with a select series of 2016 live dates, accompanied by a stellar combo comprised of The Gaslight Anthem guitarist Alex Rosamilia, The Horrible Crowes’ Ian Perkins and Molly & The Zombies bassist Catherine Popper (Jack White, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Willie Nelson), among other special performers. .

The Gaslight Anthem announced plans this summer to go on an indefinite hiatus following a massively successful European tour that culminated in a remarkable headline show at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire and emotional appearances at the UK’s legendary Reading & Leeds Festival.

Brian Fallon specialized in anthemic heartache with his band the Gaslight Anthem, and his new song “A Wonderful Life” suggests he’s staying the course on an upcoming solo album. For the second straight year, one of the best of the Springsteen bandleaders stepped out for a great solo album. In 2015, it was Craig Finn of The Hold Steady; this year Brian Fallon ex of Gaslight Anthem reaches for his moment and makes an honest stand with Painkillers. And like Finn, it turns out that Fallon’s earnest narratives thrive with less instrumentation around them.

Featuring a rock-solid beat topped with growling electric guitars, Fallon’s hoarse, expressive voice is the centerpiece as he sings with a yearning edge about wanting a meaningful existence. “‘A Wonderful Life’ was my expression of how I feel, and how some people I know feel,” the singer and guitarist says by email. “We want our lives to matter to those around us. We want our time here to have positive impact and not simply to pass by. Even if that costs us.”

The song comes from “Painkillers,” which is Fallon’s first solo effort after five studio albums with the Gaslight Anthem since the band formed in 2006. The New Jersey group announced a hiatus earlier this year. Fallon is also half of the rock duo the Horrible Crowes, and a member of the Americana group Molly and the Zombies with bassist Catherine Popper (Jack White, Ryan Adams) and Scissor Sisters drummer Randy Schrager.

Popper plays bass on “Painkillers,” which also includes drummer Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller, Jackson Browne) and guitarist Butch Walker, who produced the album. “Painkillers” released on Island Records, and Fallon will start a North American tour.