No one ever accused Social Distortion of being prolific.
Look back through those old books on the history of rock ’n’ roll and you’ll find bands knocking out two, sometimes three albums a year. They’d be on tour, in the studio, back on tour, arguing with each other, making another record, and somehow still finding time to invent half the things we now call classic.
No one told Social Distortion.
They work at a pace that could politely be called glacial. They make Def Leppard look like speed freaks. “Born To Kill” is their first album in 15 years, and if that sounds ridiculous, well, it is. But then Mike Ness has never seemed like a man especially bothered by anyone else’s clock.
And after everything – not least Ness’ recovery from cancer – “Born To Kill” feels less like a comeback and more like a reminder. A reminder of who they are, what they do, and why, when Social Distortion finally decide to make a record, you shut up and listen.
The title track is the perfect welcome back. “The revolution could sure be fun,” Ness sings, and honestly, baby, we’ve got a lot to talk about. The guitar sound alone is enough to make you grin. Dirty, bright, full of attitude, but never messy. It has that old Social D trick of sounding like it’s been around forever while still feeling completely alive in the moment.
“No Way Out” carries the ghosts with it. Ness sings about still being haunted by the past, and that feeling of being trapped runs right through the song. It’s classic Social Distortion territory: regret, defiance, pain and a chorus that makes the darkness feel oddly communal.
“The Way Things Were” is even better. Melodic, reflective, low-slung and old-school, it has a little Johnny Thunders flavour around the edges, that sense of romance being dragged through the gutter and somehow coming out with its hair still perfect. “Tonight” follows with the sort of blue-collar, heartland punk that Social Distortion helped define. Very American, very lived-in, and utterly theirs.
That’s the thing here. Plenty of bands have borrowed from this lot. Plenty have tried to mix punk, rock ’n’ roll, country, regret and redemption. But Social Distortion’s status as originators is unquestioned, and “Partners In Crime” underlines why. “You’ve got three chords and the truth,” goes one of the lines, and surely that’s the point. The record wears its influences proudly too: Lou Reed, Iggy, Bowie, all that glorious rock ’n’ roll wreckage. But it never feels like cosplay. It feels like Ness leafing through the sacred texts, then tearing out a page and writing his own ending.
“Crazy Dreamer” offers a mellifluous change of pace, country-flavoured and classic-sounding, while “Wicked Game” is genuinely brilliant. There have been more covers of that song than anyone can sensibly count, and whether you can truly improve on it is another question. What Social Distortion do, though, is make it theirs. That’s enough.
“Walk Away” is all guitar tone and poetry, proof that Ness remains one of those writers who can make plain words sound like scripture. “Never Going Back Again” has urgency to it, as if there is wisdom that needs imparting before the door slams shut. “Don’t Keep Me Hanging On” is perhaps where that old description of Social Distortion as the Rolling Stones of hardcore makes most sense. There’s swagger, sure, but there’s also that looseness, that ability to make rough edges feel like the whole point.
Then comes “Over You”, and for all the title says, it doesn’t sound like he is. Maybe that’s why Social Distortion are still making records. Because when they look inward like this, when they pick at the scars rather than pretend they’ve healed, they still find gold.
The abrupt ending hints at unfinished business, and maybe that’s exactly right. “Born To Kill” doesn’t feel like the end of anything. It feels like a band turning up late, leaning against the bar, saying very little, then reminding everyone why the room went quiet when they walked in.
It’s punk, but not as you know it. Then again, that has always been Mike Ness’ stock in trade.
As is brilliance. Which, after 15 years, was to be expected. Somehow, “Born To Kill” still doesn’t disappoint.
RATING 9/10
