In true CKY fashion, the legendary alt-metal/grunge misfits have kicked down the door with zero warning. After seven long years of silence, the band has returned with a brand-new single, “Can’t Stop Running” — and they didn’t tease it, preview it, or hype it. They just dropped it straight into fans’ laps and let the riffs speak for themselves.
“This song has been a favorite of ours since it was written and demoed, and has remained one of our favorites in our catalog,” says frontman Chad I. Ginsburg. “It has the perfect happy/sad feel, and is a progression and growth in writing. This is a song for everyone — not just CKY diehards.” Ginsburg also made it clear that the band isn’t here to please anyone but themselves: “We couldn’t give a shit about anyone who doesn’t like it.”
The single captures everything CKY stands for — the grimy guitar grit, the swaggering attitude, and that uniquely twisted mix of melody and menace. It’s a clear evolution, but still drenched in the spirit of the band that helped define a generation of skate-punk and alt-metal chaos.
The Band That Never Died
Formed in West Chester, Pennsylvania in the late ’90s, CKY (short for Camp Kill Yourself) broke out alongside the Jackass and CKY video scenes — an unholy trinity of stunts, sludge riffs, and teenage rebellion that became a subcultural moment. Their early records, “Volume 1” (1999) and “Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild” (2002), became cult classics, powered by underground hits like “96 Quite Bitter Beings” and “Flesh Into Gear.” That signature riff-heavy sound — equal parts Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, and Black Sabbath — carved CKY a space that was theirs alone.
After several lineup changes and a decade of sporadic activity, CKY returned with “The Phoenix” (2017) — a confident, self-produced comeback that proved their spark hadn’t dimmed. Now, with “Can’t Stop Running,” they’ve reignited the fire once again.
The current lineup features Chad I. Ginsburg (vocals/guitar/production), founding drummer Jess Margera, and new bassist Mike Leon (ex-Soulfly, Cavalera, Havok, Igorrr), whose ferocious playing brings fresh blood to the CKY machine.
CKY Still Hit Hard
It’s no surprise that heavyweights like Metallica, Deftones, and Guns N’ Roses have all hand-picked CKY as tourmates — few bands deliver the same combination of dirt, precision, and unfiltered charisma. With more than 100 million Spotify streams and over 825,000 monthly listeners (a number that jumped 75K after the new song hit), CKY’s fanbase is as alive and loyal as ever.
Fans can expect more new music on the horizon, with Ginsburg hinting that upcoming tracks will “be all over the map.” In the meantime, the band is gearing up for tour dates across the UK, Ireland, and Australia — proof that you really can’t stop running once the CKY engine kicks in.
Listen to “Can’t Stop Running” now on all streaming platforms and keep up with CKY through their official socials.
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