Social Distortion to Release First Album in 15 Years This May

Social Distortion will release a new studio album in May. This marks the band's first batch of original music since 2011's Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes. Frontman Mike Ness says the project is done and set for a spring launch.

Ness spilled details about the album backstage at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2025 event in Los Angeles, according to cleveland.com. The first single should arrive this month.

The record arrives after Ness went through serious health issues. Doctors found stage-one tonsil cancer in 2023. Surgery and treatment followed, which meant he had to relearn how to speak and sing.

The group started back in 1978 and helped build the punk rock genre while mixing punk with rockabilly, country, and other American roots sounds. After hitting it big with 1983's Mommy's Little Monster, the band came roaring back in the late 1980s with catchier tunes that pulled in more listeners through albums like Social Distortion and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell.

"Ness and 'Social D' never went away. They've been active on tour and a new album is most welcome," said Peter Chakerian, life and culture editor. "It seems like the right time to be hearing from them."

Mike Ness has jumped back into touring after getting better. His health problems made him stop performing and work to regain trust in his voice.

The band has kept playing shows despite the gap between studio releases. The 15-year wait between albums stands as one of the longest stretches in their story. Fans can get concert tickets and stay on the lookout for info on their future album on the band's official website.