Social Distortion have now shared ‘The Way Things Were‘, the final preview of their long-awaited eighth album, ‘Born To Kill‘. The record, their first in 15 years, arrives this Friday, 8th May, via Epitaph Records.
On ‘The Way Things Were’, Social Distortion look back without losing momentum, as Mike Ness revisits his hell-raising Fullerton youth. It’s a bruised, nostalgic anthem in the vein of classics “Story of My Life” and “I Was Wrong”. It is a potent distillation of the Social D ethos, featuring lyrics like “I wrote a song with a stolen riff / If you ain’t got a song you ain’t got shit.”
LISTEN TO ‘THE WAY THINGS WERE‘ ON YOUTUBE AND SPOTIFY
‘Born To Kill’ is more than the conclusion to a 15-year wait between Social Distortion albums, it’s a revelation: 11 songs of pure, unadulterated rock fury, joy and catharsis, all imbued with the signature blend of defiance and world-weariness that has made Ness a poet and sage to the dispossessed for more than 40 years.
Hailed by ROLLING STONE as “still full of piss and vinegar,” Born To Kill wastes no time letting the listener know where its heart is: its hard-charging title track — closing in on 3 million streams in the month since it dropped — paying respects to Lou Reed (“Rock ’n’ Roll Animal gonna come your way!”) and Iggy and the Stooges (“The agenda is yeah to Search and Destroy”) and lionizing David Bowie (“It’s a Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide”) on the newly released “Partners In Crime.” This is a man, a band, and a record that wear their influences proudly while creating timeless anthems and ballads that both chart Social Distortion’s path forward and celebrate its storied past: “Tonight” and “The Way Things Were” are emotionally charged reminiscences in the vein of classics like “Story of My Life” from the band’s eponymous 1990 breakthrough and “I Was Wrong” from 1996’s White Light, White Heat, White Trash, the latter containing a potent distillation of the Social D ethos: “I wrote a song with a stolen riff / If you ain’t got a song you ain’t got shit.”
The track listing for Born To Kill is:
1. Born To Kill
2. No Way Out
4. Tonight
6. Crazy Dreamer
7. Wicked Game
8. Walk Away (Don’t Look Back)
9. Never Goin’ Back Again
10. Don’t Keep Me Hanging On
11. Over You
WATCH ‘THE ROAD TO BORN TO KILL’ SHORT DOCUMENTARY HERE
Co-produced by Ness and Dave Sardy, and featuring guest appearances from Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Lucinda Williams and collaborative cover art by Ness and Shepard Fairey, ‘Born To Kill’ is the latest installment in a remarkable catalog that spans nearly three generations, including Mommy’s Little Monster (1983), Prison Bound (1988), the RIAA gold-certified Social Distortion (1990) and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992), White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996), Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll (2004), and Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011).
Social Distortion will support Born To Kill with an extensive European tour this Summer, including two UK dates at Download Festival and London’s Koko. The tour will also cover Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, and Benelux.
03 June – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, Norway
04 June – Sweden Rock – Solvesborg, Sweden
06 June – Rock Im Park – Nürnberg, Germany
07 June – Rock Am Ring – Nurburg, Germany
09 June – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany
11 June – Rock For People – Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
12 June – Nova Rock Festival – Nickelsdorf, Austria
14 June – Download Festival – Donington, United Kingdom
16 June – Koko – London, United Kingdom
18 June – Hellfest – Clisson, France
20 June – Azkena Rock Festival – Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
23 June – Carroponte – Milan, Italy
24 June – Halle 622 – Zurich, Switzerland
26 June – Vainstream – Munster, Germany
27 June – Copenhell – Copenhagen, Denmark
29 June – Amsterdamse Bos Theatre – Amsterdam, Netherlands
30 June – Docks – Hamburg, Germany
02 July – Les Eurockéennes – Belfort, France
03 July – Rock Werchter – Werchter, Belgium
04 July – Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion – Dresden, Germany
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
WATCH ‘BORN TO KILL’ VIDEO HERE
WATCH ‘PARTNERS IN CRIME’ LYRIC VIDEO HERE
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE ‘BORN TO KILL’ HERE
www.instagram.com/socialdistortion
www.facebook.com/socialdistortion
