aaamusic | On 05, Jan 2011

Rock ‘n’ roll icons Social Distortion have officially announced the release of their long awaited, highly anticipated new studio album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, which is set for January 17.  A follow-up to their acclaimed album Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes is the band’s seventh studio album and first release in over six years.

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes builds on singer Mike Ness’ twin footings, one in the haunted American landscapes of Hank Williams and the other in the raw swagger of Exile-era Rolling Stones.   While these twin pillars have always been behind Social Distortion’s anthemic songs, on Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes they come roaring to the fore, in one of the hardest rocking, most soulful, albums of Ness’ career.

Preceding the release is first single, ‘Machine Gun Blues,’ a sneering modern day Bonnie & Clyde outlaw anthem which encompasses the album’s rebellious attitude. The song has been made available for streaming at Epitaph’s Soundcloud page, so be sure to head straight there for a first taste from the band’s latest record.

Social Distortion – Machine Gun Blues by Epitaph Records

Elsewhere on Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, Social Distortion gets straight to business with the grooving instrumental intro ‘Road Zombie,’ setting the album’s tone before segueing into what’s possibly one of the band’s finest written songs to date, ‘California (Hustle and Flow).’ This track premiered today on LATimes.com, giving a nod to the Stones with backing gospel singers, greasy solos and enough attitude to redline a ’40 Merc.

“California (Hustle and Flow) was an early idea last year,” says Ness.  “It started out as pretty much a roots rocker, ended up morphing into kind of a tribute to the Stones.  Also if you listen to the opening line it’s third person, and it’s talking about some kid with an attitude and dyed jet black hair and motorcycle boots and running around like he don’t care. It basically chronicles my career in music.  Just how it started out, how rock n roll has been good to me…And I’d like to think I’ve been good to rock ‘n’ roll ya know.”

Bruce Springsteen has “been a fan of Social Distortion for a long long time,” Guitar World has ranked Mike Ness as one of the coolest guitarists of all time and now with the release of Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, Social Distortion has further cemented themselves as one of the great rock bands of all time.

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes Track Listing:

01. Road Zombie
02. California (Hustle and Flow)
03. Gimme The Sweet And Lowdown
04. Diamond In The Rough
05. Machine Gun Blues
06. Bakersfield
07. Far Side Of Nowhere
08. Alone And Forsaken
09. Writing On The Wall
10. Cant Take it with You
11. Still Alive

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes will be released on LP, CD as well as digitally, and is available to pre-order now on iTunes and from the band’s merch store.