to get back and write a record. This time, when this record was finished, the creative process didn't end just because the record was done." In May 2012, Ness stated that Social Distortion was expected to begin writing their eighth studio album in January 2013. On July 22, 2015, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Ness said he wrote songs that he forgot a few days later. He stated that the band were banking on a 2016 release date and that some songs that he considered to be filler were getting praise from his bandmates. In 2015, the band toured to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled album. In a March 2017 interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal, Ness revealed that the band has about 20 new songs in various stages of completion, and said that they range from garage punk to the gospel-inspired. Later that month, he said that he has been "reading and writing, and kind of wrapping my mind around the self-imposed challenge that I've put on myself: that I've got to write the record of my career. So I've got to raise the bar. That's just something that I put on myself because I don't like to just go, 'Time to put out another record' and go through the motions." He also hinted at the band entering the studio in about six months. In an interview with Phoenix New Times, which also took place in March 2017, Ness stated that his goal was to be in the studio by fall, and added, "I have to write the record of my career right now. That's the pressure I put on myself." In an June 2018 interview with Edmonton Journal, Ness said, "I've put a few new songs in the set just to let people know that we're not sitting on our asses at home. It gets people talking, which is nice. But yeah, once we stop touring in November, we'll be ready. I'm thinking that by January we'll be pre-production, but I don't want to rush something out just to get it out." In an interview with The Orange County Register in November 2022, Ness mentioned that, with over 40-50 songs written, Social Distortion has been working on two new albums, with the first to be released in 2023 and the second to be recorded a year later, and added, "That would make people faint. I want