Album Review: Born to Kill by Social Distortion
Written by Liam M. Hennessey
Aging punk legends, Social Distortion, show no signs of slowing down as they approach 50 years of activity. On Born to Kill, their eighth record and latest release since 2011’s Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, frontman Mike Ness and the gang gather again after 15 years. What do they have to say after their longest break between releases to date? Following years of grueling touring schedules, meticulous songcraft, and several delays, including Ness’ tonsil cancer, the gang is back with no signs of age.
While they were a part of the original wave of SoCal hardcore, Social Distortion has always had a distinct flavoring of classic rock and roll or rockabilly embedded in their rendition of punk. Social Distortion’s sound has stayed consistent with their signature blend of blues-heavy punk rock. This album also reminds listeners that if something isn’t broken, it doesn’t need fixing.
Ness’s vocal delivery throughout this record sounds almost identical to how he’s sounded throughout his entire career. The writing on this record stands as some of the most exemplary of their career. The track Tonight genuinely strikes their quintessential balance of melancholic bittersweet regret perfectly, and is one of their best songs to date.
Speaking of melancholia, the lyricism Ness brings to this project could best be described as a continuation of Social Distortion’s typical musings on mournful nostalgia. The Way Things Were is one of Social Distortion’s most explicitly driven tracks by this pained hindsight, and is a literal goodbye to how their lives used to be.
At the end of the day, however, Social Distortion is still fundamentally a punk band with a strong emphasis on the importance and inevitability of rebellion. Another favorite lyric on the record comes from Partners in Crime: “Like a cold war nuclear bomb / Something here is definitely wrong / You're the bearer of bad news / 'Cause you got three chords and you got the truth, yeah.”
In summation, Social Distortion delivers the same brand of punk rock they’ve always been known for on Born to Kill. After all these years, everything you’d hope for from a Social Distortion record remains the same: guitars still sound delightfully reminiscent of a buzz saw, vocals are still sung through gnarled teeth with as much grit as they’ve ever had, and lyricism still reminds us that punk can be poignant. This far into their career, Born to Kill might be where the Social Distortion discography dies, but not without reminding us all who they were all along.
