Social Distortion just released Born to Kill, their first album in 15 years, and it feels like a long-awaited knockout punch. Mike Ness and the band sound reenergized, hungry, and more genuine than ever. They blend raw punk energy with that signature country-blues style that made them legends. A lot can happen in fifteen years. Yet some things stay the same. On their eighth album, Born to Kill, Social Distortion sounds just like they did on their last record fifteen years ago.

As my fanatical followers would be aware of, I am totally addicted to French Oi! from the 'classic' bands such as Camera Silens, Komintern Sect, etc, ever since I had the pleasure of listening to them. So the debut 12" EP of the Montreal/Gainesville band certainly caught my eye! This is an absolutely awesome no-nonsense package of classic street punk rock which sounds highly influenced by the era of "Chaos En France" and the like bands. It is just about 12 minutes long and contains only 5 tracks but misses nothing. Highly melodic and catchy yet never weak, punchy and powerful with that classic 80s oi! sound!

In the mid-90s, when a lot of the original Oi! bands had practically disappeared or changed their style, The Business really made a huge comeback with Keep The Faith, a truly hardcore street punk album that proclaimed who was the real and original working-class punk champion. Originally released in 1994 right after the band came out of a break, it reflects a moment when the band was changing but still very much keeping the edge of their previous work.

Fresh off their 2024 debut Statues EP, Cornwall's Unrivalled —led by the battle-hardened vocals of Mike Brands (ex-Arch Rivals)—deliver a proper six-track statement with We Are The Enemy. At a sharp 20 minutes, this is not background music for your tea pasties party.

Seven years after Reggae Now!, LA's unchallenged kings of Dirty Reggae return with Super Atomic, and it's precisely the shot of high-octane, groove-heavy skank the scene needed. Released on June 5, 2026, this 11-track, 39-minute burner finds the band at their most tight and intentional yet, thanks in part to their tireless touring and a "trust the groove" philosophy.

The guys from Convict Class just sent me their latest album Not The Enemy directly from Australia, and on an Amsterdam morning I "clicked play" and suddenly it felt like I had been transported to a sweaty Warrnambool pub. There was not a single moment when I was able to resist as from the opening chords to the final feedback, this record mesmerizes its listener completely, a real streetpunk monster that oozes life, honesty, and is also full of that raw working-class fire that inspired the scene in the first place.

I downloaded the new NOi!SE album Fate of the Union on bandcamp and hit play. From the very first notes, I was hooked – transported straight into the heart of Tacoma, Washington’s streetpunk scene.

If you don’t already know who these guys from Houston are, you’ve really been living under a rock this last few years. Liberty & Justice takes the musical foundations built by bands like The Templars and 4-Skins, but immediately demolishes all that is the tradition with hardcore power like that of Sheer Terror.

The Clench are a Scottish Oi! outfit that hit the scene in the early 2020s and quickly carved out a strong identity: raw, melodic street punk with working-class bite, singalong choruses, and enough hard-rock swagger. Both of these six-track mini-LPs (around 17 minutes each) feel like two chapters of the same story—energetic, no-frills Oi! that sounds best cranked loud with mates or on a long drive. Listening to them back-to-back, as I did, really highlights how consistent and solid the band is while showing subtle growth.

Gimp Fist hit back with a statement release in the form of a twelve-track album, 'Take the Power Back' and, as veteran punters will know, these Dundee lads have been treading the boards in the UK's street punk scene since time immemorial and that pedigree really shines through here. Gimp Fist still carry their distinctive working-class fury, mixed with their renowned rhythmic and sometimes infectious foot-stomping verve, when the band veers into their signature reggae and ska influences. And as the title suggests, this one hits hard.

Mess serves a no-frills crash course in the classics-classic street punk and Oi!-culled from the streets of Guadalajara, Mexico, via their Somos Mess compilation (out May 2026). The 16-track collection packages up the band's 2020-2022 output-EPs, singles, rarities, split 7-inches-freshly remastered and on a single LP. 

Heathen Peaces second album, Total Fucking War, is a solid record that is a fast, aggressive mix of black metal and Oi! punk that actually works. If you like the speed of bands like Marduk or Darkthrone but also enjoy the raw, shouty energy of street punk, this record hits that spot.