Shot on location in Tulsa, OK, ‘Tonight’ was directed by John Swab, whose credits include cult classic Candy Land as well as the upcoming Netflix feature Fast & Loose starring Will Smith. The video sees the ‘Born To Kill’ standout track scoring a love story starring Johnny Angel Rios-Ness, son of Social Distortion founder Mike Ness. The two generations deliver star turns, weaving Ness‘ riveting performance with a narrative inspired by the song’s tribute to his wife of more than three decades, Christine.
Social Distortion released its long-awaited eighth album, ‘Born To Kill’, May 8th via Epitaph Records. The new record wastes no time letting the listener know where its heart is: its hard-charging title track — named as one of Rolling Stone’s Best Songs of 2026 So Far — 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.
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).