15 years is a long time to wait, and ‘Born To Kill’ was worth every one of them. Social Distortion’s eighth studio album is out now via Epitaph Records, and it’s exactly what anyone who has followed Mike Ness for more than 4 decades has needed: 11 songs of pure, unadulterated rock and roll fury, joy, and catharsis, built on the signature blend of defiance and world-weariness that has made Ness a poet and sage to the dispossessed since the early 1980s. Listen here.
The album is Social Distortion’s first since Ness’ recovery from cancer, and it brims with aggressive optimism that feels genuinely earned. The title track wastes no time declaring its intentions, dropping nods to Lou Reed, Iggy and the Stooges, and David Bowie across its opening salvos. “Partners In Crime” follows with an homage to Bowie’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.” “Tonight” and “The Way Things Were” deliver emotionally charged reminiscences that sit comfortably alongside classics like “Story of My Life” and “I Was Wrong.”
Co-produced by Ness and Dave Sardy, ‘Born To Kill’ features guest appearances from Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Lucinda Williams, adding real depth and texture to a record that already carries decades of earned credibility. The cover art, a collaborative effort between Ness and Shepard Fairey, is as iconic as the music deserves.
The album joins a catalog that includes Mommy’s Little Monster (1983), Prison Bound (1988), the RIAA gold-certified Social Distortion (1990), 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). ‘Born To Kill’ is the latest and most hard-fought chapter in that remarkable run.
A massive North American fall tour supports the release, running August 25 through October 3 with The Descendents and The Chats along for most dates. 23 shows across 21 cities, from Phoenix to Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
North America Fall 2026 Tour Dates:
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
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
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
Most dates with The Descendents and The Chats. Hollywood Palladium dates with The Descendents only.