Social Distortion has released the official music video for “Tonight”, one of the standout tracks from its latest album, Born To Kill. The song has already earned praise, with Rolling Stone calling the record the band’s “best album in years.”
Filmed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the video was directed by John Swab, known for the cult film Candy Land and the upcoming Netflix movie Fast & Loose starring Will Smith. The clip centers on a love story featuring Johnny Angel Rios-Ness, the son of Social Distortion founder Mike Ness. Father and son both appear in the video, which pairs Mike Ness‘s performance with a storyline inspired by his relationship with his wife of more than 30 years, Christine Ness.
Released on May 8 through Epitaph Records, Born To Kill marks Social Distortion‘s eighth studio album. The record opens with its title track, “Born To Kill”, which was selected as one of Rolling Stone‘s “Best Songs Of 2026 So Far.” Throughout the album, Mike Ness pays tribute to several artists who helped shape his songwriting, including Lou Reed with the line “Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal gonna come your way!”, The Stooges through “The agenda is yeah to Search and Destroy”, and David Bowie with “It’s a Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” on “Partners In Crime”. The album embraces those influences while continuing to build on Social Distortion‘s own sound.
Born To Kill was co-produced by Mike Ness and Dave Sardy. The album also features guest appearances from Benmont Tench of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers and Lucinda Williams, while the cover artwork was created through a collaboration between Mike Ness and Shepard Fairey.
The new release joins a catalog that stretches back more than four decades, including Mommy’s Little Monster, Prison Bound, the RIAA Gold-certified Social Distortion, Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell, White Light, White Heat, White Trash, Sex, Love And Rock ‘N’ Roll, and Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes.
Social Distortion will spend the coming months supporting Born To Kill on an extensive North American tour running through October 3 in San Diego. The Descendents and The Chats will join the tour as support acts from August 25 through the final date.
