Joe Jackson returns with Hope And Fury, a nine-song set that settles back into what he’s always done best: sharp, rhythm-driven songwriting with a band that knows how to give it shape without getting in the way.

He’s long pushed back on the idea that he’s constantly reinventing himself. In his view, most of his catalog sits inside a consistent framework, even when the surface details shift. The occasional left turn is part of the deal, though. His last project, Mr. Joe Jackson Presents Max Champion in What a Racket!, leaned into character and period detail. This time, he’s back in the present, working in a familiar space but keeping it active.

The album came together between Berlin and New York, with Jackson reuniting Graham Maby, Teddy Kumpel, and Doug Yowell, along with percussionist Paulo Stagnaro. It plays like a group effort. Nothing feels overworked, and the grooves carry just enough edge to keep things from settling into routine.

The writing leans into contrast. “Welcome to Burning-By-Sea” starts as a seaside vignette before opening into something broader, while “End of the Pier” connects two eras of British life a century apart. Jackson’s humor runs throughout, sometimes dry, sometimes more pointed. “I’m Not Sorry” cuts clean, “Fabulous People” takes aim at surface-level culture, and “Do Do Do” loosens things up without losing the thread.

There’s a reflective side, too. “The Face” follows a character trying to make sense of a fractured, overloaded world. “Made God Laugh” and “After All This Time” take a longer view, weighing time, relationships, and what lasts. The closing ballad, “See You In September,” keeps it restrained and lets the melody do the work.

A stronger English perspective runs through the album than on some of his recent releases, showing up in both the storytelling and the tone. Living between New York and Portsmouth, Jackson brings both sides into the mix, which helps explain his own description of the album as “Bicoastal LatinJazzFunkRock.”