Social Distortion – “Born To Kill” [Video]

Orange County legends Social Distortion are finally back in action. After a 15-year gap between albums, they’ve announced their eighth studio record, Born To Kill, landing May 8 via Epitaph Records. And yeah, it sounds exactly like you hoped it would.

The title track, “Born To Kill,” is out now — and it rips. It’s loud, gritty, and built for packed rooms and raised fists. If you’ve caught them live lately, you’ve already seen how hard this one hits. Now there’s an official video to crank.

This isn’t just another album cycle. It’s the first Social D record since frontman Mike Ness battled cancer and came out the other side. That fight bleeds into these songs. There’s urgency here, but also confidence. The kind that only comes from four decades of living it.

Born To Kill tips its hat to heroes like Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, but it never feels stuck in the past. Tracks like “Tonight” and “The Way Things Were” carry that reflective punch longtime fans know from Social Distortion and White Light, White Heat, White Trash. There’s heart, there’s bite, and there’s that line that says it all: if you don’t have a song, you don’t have anything.

The record was co-produced by Ness and Dave Sardy, with appearances from Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Lucinda Williams. The cover art comes from Ness alongside Shepard Fairey, which feels like the right visual stamp for a band that has always stood for something.

If you’ve been waiting since Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, this is your payoff.

Pre-order Born To Kill here:
https://socialdistortion.ffm.to/borntokill

SOCIAL DISTORTION

North America – Fall 2026

August 25 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre *
August 28 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater *
August 29 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory *
August 31 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle *
September 1 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy *
September 3 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz *
September 4 – Washington, DC – The Anthem *
September 5 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony Summer Stage *
September 8 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark *
September 9 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner *
September 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount *
September 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount *
September 14 – Toronto, ON – HISTORY *
September 17 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit *
September 20 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory *
September 22 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom *
September 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center *
September 25 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas *
September 26 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort – Grand Theatre *
September 28 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic *
October 1 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium #
October 2 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium #
October 3 – San Diego, CA – Gallagher Square at Petco Park *

# Support from Descendents and The Chats on select dates.