Painkillers

The secret to Painkillers is that Fallon doesn’t overcomplicate things or second-guess himself, which must be liberating considering the daunting amount of pressure he’s under with Gaslight. And pairing Fallon’s vocals with piano (“Honey Magnolia”) and harmonious backing vocals (“Open All Night”) illustrates how versatile his voice is when he doesn’t need to scream over an overdriven amp.

Painkillers is a compelling second act.

The album's congruence in theme, tempo, and tone is both consistent and coherent. Together with Butch Walker, Catherine Popper, and long-time running mates Ian Perkins and Alex Rosamilia (among others), Painkillers is a carefully-cultivated record that Fallon categorically needed to write.

A direct continuation of the Gaslight man’s Americana-driven Horrible Crowes side project of 2011, only imbued with more confidence.

A record that's a straight-up fantastic return to Brian's rock'n'roll roots. [19 Mar 2016, p.67]

Though nowhere near the monolithic, bottled lightning of ‘The ’59 Sound’, this is a return to the Brian Fallon the rock world fell trucker caps over Chuck Taylors in love with.

Fallon has found a way to distill his band's fiery nostalgia into something a little more refined, but no less affecting.

An album of songs built to linger and last.

All told, Painkillers does many things well and few things poorly. It's not a Gaslight record, but it's one that fans will find familiar.

It all comes together to create a perfect album for those sleepless nights when you need help to combat the loneliness. [Apr 2016, p.100]

Painkillers suggests their frontman really was holding his best songs back. [Apr 2016, p.88]

On the evidence of Painkillers, Fallon doesn’t really need the backup of a regular band. With this debut he’s placed his stake as an American singer-songwriter of style and substance.

Painkillers isn't quite a rebirth, but with his band struggling to stay vibrant in recent years, it feels a little like a new morning.