Hope and Furyreturns to the present, and the JJ mainstream, with nine strong new songs. After laying the groundwork for the album in Michael TibesFuzz Factory studioin Berlin, Jackson returned to New YorksReservoir Studioswith co-producerPatrick Dillettand assembled his on-and-off band since 2016 bassist for lifeGraham Maby, guitaristTeddy Kumpel, and drummerDoug Yowell augmented by the Latin percussion of Peruvian nativePaulo Stagnaro. The result might strike a fan as a cross between 2019s Fool, 1991s Laughter and Lust, and 1982s Night and Day.

Like those albums, Hope and Furyoverflows with great tunes, clever and original lyrics, and funky grooves, with Jacksons vocals and keyboard playing as strong as, if not stronger than, theyve ever been. In keeping with the title (an ironic twist on Land of Hope and Glory), this is a more EnglishJoe Jacksonthan weve seen for quite a while (the Max Champion influence, perhaps?), with some songs suggesting a love/hate relationship with his homeland.

Opening track Welcome to Burning-By-Sea describes a fictional seaside town inspired by Brighton and Jacksons hometown Portsmouth but turns out to be a microcosm of the whole country, while End of the Pier ingeniously contrasts a slice of British working-class life in 1922 with a post-pandemic version in 2022.

For that matter, this is an album full of contrasts, but its mostly upbeat, with the trademark JJ humour much in evidence: from biting sarcasm in Im Not Sorry and playful mockery in Fabulous People to pure silliness in Do Do Do. In The Face, an Everyman character finds himself lost in an angry and polarized political climate: Not one of the Great Unwashed but One of the Great Overwhelmed. Two other songs are in Jacksons oft-cited bittersweet melodic mode: Made God Laugh expresses a kind of happy, grown-up fatalism about life in general, while After All This Time is a similar take on a long-term relationship. The album also follows aJoe Jacksontradition by ending with a slow ballad this time one of his most beautiful, See You in September.

Format / LP
Released /04/10/2026
Catalogue /ERMU-221182
Barcode /4029759211822
Artist /Joe Jackson
Label /Earmusic
Genre /Pop / Rock