SOCIAL DISTORTION's First New Album In 15 Years To Arrive In May 2026

Mike Ness, singer and guitarist for the legendary SoCal punk group SOCIAL DISTORTION, has confirmed that the band's long-awaited new studio album will arrive next spring.

Ness briefly touched upon the band's upcoming LP during a backstage chat on December 13 with Kevin Ryder at the annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2025 at Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California.

After Ryder asked Ness if it's true that SOCIAL DISTORTION has a new album coming out in early 2026, Mike said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "May." In a separate social media post, Ness announced that the LP's first single will arrive in January.

Ness, who revealed a diagnosis of tonsil cancer in June 2023, also offered an update on his recovery, saying: "I was afraid I was gonna not gonna live. I've been through some hard things in my life in some dangerous situations, as you can imagine, but nothing like that."

Asked if he had to learn to talk and sing again, Mike said: "I had to learn to eat, swallow — everything. I mean, they went in there — they sent a robot. I call him Ike, the robot. He went down and cut out my tonsil and the tumor. And then the second part of the surgery was, they slit my neck and cut the lymph nodes out. So I could not eat food. I mean, I came out of surgery with a drain and a feeding tube."

After Ryder noted that he is "glad" that Ness could sing again after his cancer battle, Mike said: "My voice is stronger than it's ever been. I think I'm singing like there's no tomorrow. So every show is great because I'm singing like there's no tomorrow."

Ness started SOCIAL DISTORTION as a teenager in 1979. Over the course of the next decade, Ness battled drug and alcohol addiction, spending stints in jail and rehab.

Formed as rebellious teenage punks in the working-class suburb of Fullerton, California, SOCIAL DISTORTION survived their tumultuous youth to pioneer an undeniably honest and fiery brand of rock 'n' roll that would incorporate outlaw country, classic seventies punk and primal blues. Seven studio albums and countless electrifying live shows have earned the band a dedicated worldwide fanbase and catalog of timeless anthems, including "Story Of My Life", "Ball And Chain", "Prison Bound" and more. The band's last release, 2011's "Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes", entered the Billboard 200 at No. 4, and in 2019 SOCIAL DISTORTION celebrated 40 years as a band.