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Hope and Fury

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Hope and Fury
Studio album by
Joe Jackson
Released10 April 2026 (2026-04-10)
Studio
  • Fuzz Factory (Berlin)
  • Reservoir (New York City)
Length34:44
LabelearMUSIC
Producer
Joe Jackson chronology
What a Racket!
(2023) 		Hope and Fury
(2026)
Singles from Hope and Fury
  1. "Welcome to Burning-By-Sea"
    Released: 10 December 2025[1]
  2. "Fabulous People"
    Released: 4 February 2026[2]
  3. "After All This Time"
    Released: 18 March 2026[3]

Hope and Fury is the 22nd studio album by English singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, released by earMUSIC on 10 April 2026.[4]

Jackson has described Hope and Fury as "bicoastal Latin-jazz-funk-rock".[5] He was particularly inspired lyrically by England and the "kind of love-hate relationship" that he has with it.[6]

Jackson is set to embark on an 80-date tour to promote the album, covering North America between May and July 2026 and Europe between September and December 2026.[7]

Recording

[edit]

Hope and Fury was recorded at the Fuzz Factory Studio in Berlin and Reservoir Studios in New York City.[8] Jackson recorded demo tracks in Brooklyn prior to the main recording sessions. As he felt he could not improve his lead vocals on some of these demos, Jackson retained the vocal tracks for approximately half of the proper recordings.[9]

Song information

[edit]

"Welcome to Burning-By-Sea" was inspired by Jackson's observations on modern day England. He started writing the song about Brighton but ended up drawing more inspiration from his hometown of Portsmouth and the contrast between the two cities. He presented the song as being about a fictional seaside town but called it a "microcosm of the whole country".[6] "Fabulous People" was written about an individual who "can't stand the fact that he's a really boring, normal, ordinary white heterosexual guy".[5] Jackson, who called it a "humorous song", was inspired by his 1982 hit song "Steppin' Out" for aspects of the arrangement.[6] "After All This Time" was written about "overcoming the cliché of [a] relationship that breaks up because it gets too difficult". Jackson used a "catalog of clichés" for the verses and then provided a twist in the chorus by having the narrator suggest that they and their partner stay together rather than break up.[6] Jackson examines English society 100 years apart in "End of the Pier", which he has called the album's "saddest" track. The first half of the song is based on a working-class family in 1922 and the second half looks at an equivalent family a century later in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarHalf star[10]
MojoStarStarStarStar[11]
PopMatters5/10[12]
The TimesStarStarStar[13]
Uncut8/10[14]

Upon its release, Will Hodgkinson of The Times summarised, "Jackson's blend of bon mot-laden social observation and heavily percussive pop-funk can grate, but when he fuses a sympathy for the underdog with real originality and invention, he really does mark himself out as a singular and enduring talent."[13] Michael Gallucci, writing for Ultimate Classic Rock, said that, although the album "doesn't fully disregard Jackson's restless musical pursuits", it is "nice to see him on familiar ground from time to time", with songs such as "I'm Not Sorry" and "Fabulous People" being his "most fuss-free in years".[15]

Terry Staunton of Uncut called it a "partial return stylistically to the jazzy pop sophistication" of Night and Day and Body and Soul, but with "more aggressive percussion". He also noted Jackson's "trademark wit".[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for Mojo, said Jackson presents himself as a "songwriter who still can be prickly but prefers to be playful". He added that the "deft rhythms help underscore the album's lineage to the cosmopolitan Night and Day", which Jackson "further emphasises with melodic winks to his past".[11]

Jeremy McDonagh of PopMatters said that the album's style "harkens back to the pub rock of I'm the Man, mixing in the salsa flourishes of Night and Day. He considered all of Jackson's "finger-wagging and score-settling" in the lyrics to "sound like a swansong" which, "as a possible final word", "leaves a distinctly bitter aftertaste on an otherwise remarkable career".[12] Mark Deming of AllMusic noted that Hope and Fury "confirms Jackson is still a considerable talent", but felt that the album's "musical excellence" was somewhat eclipsed by the overall theme of the lyrics. He described them as "concern[ing] themselves with various things that clearly annoy him", with Jackson coming across as a "British version of Statler and Waldorf".[10]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Joe Jackson.

No.TitleLength
1."Welcome to Burning-By-Sea"3:57
2."I'm Not Sorry"2:54
3."Made God Laugh"3:36
4."Do Do Do"2:21
5."Fabulous People"4:02
6."After All This Time"4:21
7."The Face"4:35
8."End of the Pier"5:30
9."See You in September"3:24

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[8]

  • Joe Jackson – vocals, keyboards, production, artwork concept
  • Graham Maby – bass, vocals
  • Teddy Kumpel – guitar, vocals
  • Doug Yowell – drums, vocals
  • Paulo Stagnaro – percussion
  • Susan Aquila – violin
  • Lourdes Rosales – viola
  • Patrick Dillett – production, recording, mixing
  • Michael Tibes – recording
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Frank Veronsky – photography
  • Harry Elliott – photography
  • Jason Harrington – digital editing
  • Mark Lerner – layout

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Hope and Fury
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 95
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 48
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 83
French Physical Albums (SNEP)[19] 44
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 32
German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 10
Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] 47
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 16
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[24] 49
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[25] 26
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[26] 15
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[27] 30

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Joe Jackson releases first single 'Welcome to Burning-By-Sea' from forthcoming album Hope and Fury". earMUSIC. 10 December 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  2. ^ "Joe Jackson releases Fabulous People". earMUSIC. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  3. ^ "Joe Jackson releases 'After All This Time'". earMUSIC. 18 March 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  4. ^ "Joe Jackson releases his brand new album 'Hope and Fury'". earMUSIC. 10 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  5. ^ a b Potton, Ed (5 April 2026). "'We're in the no fun era' — Joe Jackson on smoking bans and abstinence". The Times. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d e Chiu, David (16 April 2026). "Joe Jackson on his return to rock and pop with 'Hope and Fury'". Forbes. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  7. ^ DeRiso, Nick (11 November 2025). "Joe Jackson returns with new tour and first rock LP in 7 years". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  8. ^ a b Hope and Fury liner notes (CD). Joe Jackson. Europe: earMUSIC. 2026. 0221180EMU.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Rowland, Hobart (15 April 2026). "A conversation with Joe Jackson". Magnet. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  10. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Hope and Fury - Joe Jackson". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  11. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (May 2026). Mulvey, John (ed.). "Joe Jackson - Hope and Fury". Mojo. London: Bauer Media Group. p. 84.
  12. ^ a b McDonagh, Jeremy (14 April 2026). "Joe Jackson settles scores on 'Hope and Fury'". PopMatters. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  13. ^ a b Hodgkinson, Will (10 April 2026). "From Joe Jackson to Lady Gaga: the music of the week". The Times. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  14. ^ a b Staunton, Terry (May 2026). Bonner, Michael (ed.). "Joe Jackson - Hope and Fury". Uncut. London: Kelsey Media. p. 32.
  15. ^ Gallucci, Michael (7 April 2026). "Joe Jackson, 'Hope and Fury': Album Review". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  19. ^ "Top Albums Physiques (Semaine du 17 avril 2026)" (in French). Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  21. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts Top 20 Rock/Metal-Charts – 17 April 2026" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 17/4/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  24. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 17/4/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  25. ^ "Joe Jackson; full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  26. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 17/4/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  27. ^ "Joe Jackson Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
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