Madball Drop ‘Rebel Kids’ — First Single from Tenth Album Not Your Kingdom
NYHC lifers Madball are back with album number ten, and the first single sounds exactly like a band who’ve never once needed to prove themselves.
If you know Madball, you already know what you’re getting into. Freddy Cricien and crew have been doing this since before most of their current fanbase could tie their own shoes — and they’ve never once softened the edges to make it easier to digest. Not Your Kingdom, due July 24th via Nuclear Blast, is the band’s tenth studio album.
About Rebel Kids (Single)
The first taste arrives with ‘Rebel Kids’ — an anthemic, groove-locked slab of New York Hardcore that sounds like it was written specifically to remind newer fans what the genre is supposed to feel like. Classic Madball energy, unrelenting, with that particular kind of locked-in groove that the band have basically owned since the early nineties.
The music video was co-directed by Freddy Cricien and Dave Causa, with Causa handling filming and editing duties.
In Freddy’s Words
Cricien had this to say about how the track came together:
“Funny enough, Rebel Kids was the first track written for this album and actually was completely put together probably 2 years ago … or so. The sentiment, vibe and message of the song really became the catalyst for what came after. We all loved the song immediately but I couldn’t have known it would be the first single. We have several songs that we feel could be first ‘out of the gate’. But in the end Rebel Kids made the most sense musically, lyrically etc.”
About Not Your Kingdom (Album)
Where Not Your Kingdom apparently distinguishes itself from earlier Madball records is in the introspection. The band’s trademark survival narratives are still intact, but Cricien has gone deeper here — the lyrics are described as a raw examination of his perspective on the world right now, and on the human condition broadly. Their most personal record to date, by their own account.
Featuring fourteen tracks, tracked at The Boneyard Studios in Nashville with additional interludes recorded by Jeff “Stress” Davis and Chuck Treece at Chop Shop Studios. Production and engineering handled by Andrew Baylis, Aiden Thompson, and Grady Saxman, with mixing and mastering by Lee Rouse.
The cover art features photography by the late Cornell Capa, courtesy of Magnum Photos and the Cornell Capa Estate — which is a genuinely striking choice for a hardcore record, and suggests someone in the camp is thinking carefully about how this thing is presented to the world.
Not Your Kingdom Tracklist
- Tethered
- Flammable
- Rebelude
- Rebel Kids
- Don’t Misstep
- What Say You
- Stab Wounds
- Sunrise
- Life’s a Mural
- Family First
- Clockwork
- IWI
- The Ride
- Chase a Dream
Pre-Order Formats
Pre-order / pre-save Not Your Kingdom here
Available in the following formats: CD Jewel Case, standard vinyl, Blue and White Propeller (Nuclear Blast mailorder exclusive, EU/US), Blue Transparent (retail EU/US), Black & Opaque Sky Blue (Coretex EU exclusive), Oxblood Opaque & Opaque Sky Blue (Revolver US exclusive), and a cover art t-shirt.
Tour Dates
Madball are out across the world through the rest of 2026. Highlights include the Brooklyn Monarch on May 22nd, a run of Mexican dates at the end of May, European dates throughout June and July, and North American festival appearances including Vans Warped Tour Montreal in late August and Louder Than Life in Louisville in September.
May 07 — Saint Nolff, FR @ Plein Air 22 — Brooklyn, NY, US @ BNB Bowl (The Brooklyn Monarch) 29 — Monterrey, MX @ Venue867 30 — Guadalajara, MX @ Foro Boletomovil 31 — Mexico City, MX @ El Foro 1869
June (Europe) 18 — Potsdam, DE @ Waschhaus Arena 19 — Zdunska Wola, PL @ Alternative Day 20 — Chojnice, PL @ Intertony Festival 21 — Rostock, DE @ Peter-Weiss-Haus 22 — Poznan, PL @ Klub B17 23 — Schneverdingen, DE @ Alte Schlachterei 24 — Leer, DE @ Zollhaus Gastro 25 — Ysselsteyn, NL @ Jera On Air 26 — Rouen, FR @ Furn Defendu 27 — Rennes, FR @ Superbowl of Hardcore
July (Europe) 25 — Badbergen, DE @ Pistole HC Food 26 — Hünxe, DE @ Ruhrpott Rodeo 26 — Insming, DE @ MozHell Open Air 27 — Karlsruhe, DE @ Alte Hackerei 28 — Cologne, DE @ Gebäude 9 29 — Kassel, DE @ Goldgrube 30 — Löbnitz, DE @ Full Rewind 31 — Gränichen, CH @ Open Air 01 Aug — St. Maurice de Gourdans, FR @ Sylak
North America 21–22 Aug — Montreal, QC, CA @ Vans Warped Tour Montreal (Parc Jean Drapeau) 19 Sep — Louisville, KY, US @ Louder Than Life (Kentucky Expo Center)
Where to find Madball
Will you pick up the Not Your Kingdom LP?
Not Your Kingdom drops July 24th via Nuclear Blast. Thirty-plus years in and Madball are still making records that feel necessary — which, in 2026, is not a small thing.
Have you heard ‘Rebel Kids’ yet? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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