One set of context clues may lead you to believe that The Gaslight Anthem haven’t released a new album since 2014 due to vocalist Brian Fallon focusing on a solo career, consistently releasing a new LP every two years since his band officially went on hiatus shortly after posting a frustrated note to Tumblr imploring fans to stop demanding Springsteen covers during their live shows. It’s a significantly less viable set of context clues, then, which suggest that the New Jersey heartland punks were too busy devoting the past decade to securing a feature with Bruce on one of their tracks to make another LP to come together.
Either way, that dream has evidently come to fruition as America’s Only Beloved Boss can be heard singing on “History Books,” the second single from their newly announced album of the same name arriving this fall (“Positive Charge” was released as a loosie back in April). “When Bruce Springsteen said I should write a duet for us, I think my head exploded,” Fallon shared in a press statement regarding the new track, which sees the band continuing to lean further into the “heartland” part of their genre equation and further from the “punk” element. “It will never get old to me that one of the greatest songwriters in the world, and one of my hero’s voices, will forever be captured in a song I wrote at a small wooden desk, in October, in New Jersey.”
Offering insight into the reunion, Fallon added: “It’s truly a miracle to be able to do your art for a living. Having the band come this far and be able to still find inspiration and connection in our music is a treasure. We’re thrilled to be back, and we thank our fans for allowing us time to regroup.”
Check out the Kelsey Hunter Ayres–directed video for the track below, and pre-order History Books here.
