New Jersey Rock Band Makes Comeback After 8-Year Break With Bruce Springsteen Team-Up

The Gaslight Anthem is known for its unique blend of Jersey Shore punk and heartland narratives. After an eight-year silence, the band announced their reunion on March 25, 2022. A simple Instagram post announced that they were back from their 2015 split. The group struck back with History Books, bringing rock legend Bruce Springsteen on board for the title song. The Gaslight Anthem also reunited briefly in 2018 to mark a decade since their second album, The '59 Sound, dropped. 

"We had something to say again," said guitarist Alex Rosamilia, according to the VC Reporter. "The point was always that we weren't going to make music for the sake of making music to keep the machine moving. ... By the time we got to the end of the record, I felt like we had just started getting going."

The band hit Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in October 2022, kicking things off with "Positive Change." They worked with producer Peter Katis, spending nights grinding away until January 2023. The walls rang with new sounds five days per week, and the recording sessions helped The Gaslight Anthem get to know each other again.

Singer Brian Fallon crafted all ten tracks. The mix includes raw cuts like "Little Fires" and the punch of "Empires," and that standout title piece with The Boss. Alex Levine played bass, and Benny Horowitz kept time on drums. With Rosamilia shredding lead and Fallon's voice and rhythm guitar, the band stayed strong through it all. 

During shows, they play from six albums' worth of songs. Rosamilia added, “With our live show, we try to keep it different, you know? We do a different one every day, just to keep it fresh. ... We're definitely back ... We're already talking about working on the next thing.”