Social Distortion has released ‘The Way Things Were,’ the third and final song to be released in advance of the band’s long-awaited eighth album, Born To Kill, out this Friday, May 8 via Epitaph Records.
An emotionally charged reminiscence in the vein of classics ‘Story of My Life’ and ‘I Was Wrong,’ ‘The Way Things Were’ 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.”
‘The Way Things Were’ can be heard alongside the anthemic ‘Partners In Crime’ and the album’s previously unveiled title track at https://socialdistortion.ffm.to/borntokill
Social Distortion will give that title track its network television debut, when the band returns to JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! on Thursday, May 7th. Check local listings for further details.
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 — surpassing 4 million streams in the weeks since its release — 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 ‘Partners In Crime.’ This is a man, a band, and a record that wear their influences proudly while creating timeless anthems and ballads that chart Social Distortion’s path forward while celebrating its storied past.
Social Distortion
Born To Kill
Tracklisting
The Way Things Were
Tonight
Partners In Crime
Crazy Dreamer
Wicked Game
Walk Away (Don’t Look Back)
Never Goin’ Back Again
Don’t Keep Me Hanging On
Over You
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).
