California hardcore punk legends Circle Jerks are set to release a new four-track recording, Revenge Of Nervous Breakdown, on November 20, 2026, via Futurismo. It will be the band’s first standalone release in 31 years, since their 1995 album Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities. And they’re going back to their roots in style – frontman Keith Morris is revisiting his early days in Black Flag and re-recording four songs from his time with the legendary band.
Time for a little history lesson. Circle Jerks formed in Los Angeles in 1979 when Morris, after leaving Black Flag, teamed up with guitarist Greg Hetson, who was playing in Redd Kross at the time. The band quickly became one of the defining acts of American hardcore punk. Their 1980 debut Group Sex remains an essential genre classic – fourteen tracks crammed into roughly fifteen minutes, a textbook example of raw, fast and uncompromising hardcore. Albums like Wild in the Streets and Golden Shower of Hits followed, and Circle Jerks‘ influence soon spread far beyond the California punk scene.
The new EP features “Depression,” “Fix Me,” “Revenge” and “Nervous Breakdown.” The latter gave its name to Black Flag’s original 1979 debut EP, while two of the other tracks date back to those early recording sessions. So this isn’t new material, but fresh studio versions of songs that helped shape the early California hardcore sound. The EP was recorded at The Boat, the studio owned by Tim Armstrong of Rancid. The artwork is by Raymond Pettibon, the artist whose work is inseparable from Black Flag.
The first taste of the release, “Revenge,” is already available on Spotify. If you’re curious to hear Keith Morris and Circle Jerks revisiting their roots, you can dive straight in. The full EP will be available on vinyl, CD, cassette and digitally. A solid dose of old-school California hardcore!
