THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM

Fans of The Gaslight Anthem had to wait a long time. Now the band has finally announced their new album "History Books" for the fall. After the more than convincing performances last year, the musicians around Brian Fallon will come to Germany again in spring 2024 to bring the new material to life live.One will unfortunately not be there then: Bruce Springsteen, who did the honor of being a duet partner on the title track "History Books." Which is the greatest honor imaginable for songwriter Brian Fallon, whose big hero has long been "The Boss." But even without this cherry on top, the new record has become big and powerful again. The four New Jersey musicians accurately pour their soulful interpretation of punk into these ten classic songs, which negotiate everything from mortality to mental illness to the precarious dimensions of human relationships, and despite the unwieldy subject matter, The Gaslight Anthem once again manage the feat of hitting every sore nerve while inspiring you to sing along until the whole room is hoarse. "I know this is heavy stuff: all the bad things we see in the world and go through in life. How are we supposed to deal with that?" asks singer-guitarist Brian Fallon, whose bandmates include drummer Benny Horowitz, bassist Alex Levine and lead guitarist Alex Rosamilia. "But we're all in this together. That makes it kind of okay. That's why the main message of the album is empathy. "That's exactly how it is. The title "History Books" represents all the things you have to let go of so they don't weigh you down anymore. The record fully embodies the life-affirming emotionality that has made The Gaslight Anthem so popular over the years. The band picks up where they left off nearly a decade ago, because no one else can do it in this inimitable way. "I'm very proud of that," Fallon says, "At the end of the day, it's just rock and roll, but that's what has a positive impact on people's lives. There's so much beauty and magic in that." In March, The Gaslight Anthem will come to Germany for three concerts.The tour is presented by VISIONS, Classic Rock and kulturnews. -