SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SOCIAL DISTORTION – MOMMY’S LITTLE MONSTER (40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

SOCIAL DISTORTION
MOMMY’S LITTLE MONSTER (40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
CRAFT RECORDINGS

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Social Distortion’s seminal debut album, Mommy’s Little Monster, Craft Recordings has reissued the album on vinyl. Remastered for the very first time, the album is available on several coloured vinyl formats, including red, black and white, clear, and grey.

Opening with the quick build up and subsequent sonic explosion of “The Creeps”, Mommy’s Little Monster is like opening a time capsule to early ‘80s California punk. The record remains classic, and interestingly, is as much a product of its time as much as it signifies the unique blues and country elements from Mike Ness that would become the leading characteristics of Social Distortion. Additionally, the remaster has breathed new life into the album with a punchy and crisp tone.

With essential tracks like “Another State Of Mind”, “Telling Them”, the title track, and “Anti-and Fashion”, Mommy’s Little Helper remains a pivotal album for not only Social Distortion, but punk rock as a whole. The record does more than stand the test of time but marks an evolution in the style from predecessors of the likes of The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, and Ramones. “Moral Threat”, the album’s climatic closer with its scratchy guitars, abrasive attack, catchy chorus, and an instrumental mid-section that gradually speeds up, is quintessential SoCal punk.

Four decades on, Mommy’s Little Monster is just as exciting as when you first heard it, something which speaks to the timelessness of Social Distortion. While not the sound the band would become known for, the record is a stronger punk debut than most could offer while alluding to where the band would head shortly after.

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