Review DROPKICK MURPHYS “For the People”

“For the People” is the meaningful title of the new Dropkick Murphys album. The release of their 13th studio album is a two-step affair: the digital version was unveiled on July 4, 2025—Independence Day—and the physical version will follow in October.

The new album from Dropkick Murphys features twelve new songs. As expected from a band like the Boston punk rock veterans, it is a very personal but also political record. This is reflected in the album’s artwork as the black rose symbolizes hatred, despair, and death, but it has also become a symbol of nonconformity, which is reflected in the new album.

The album’s lead single, “Who’ll Stand With Us?,” is the band’s first statement about working people being the backbone of every society, while billionaires are nothing more than greedy egoists.

The band invited guests to join them on the album, and the first are The Scratch. The Irish band joins for “Longshot,” and their Irish roots are very present on this anthemic folk rocker. A similar approach can be heard in “Bury the Bones,” which features The Mary Wallopers, another Irish band with folk and punk origins.

Photo: Travis Schneider

Working-class heroes are the main theme of “School Days Over,” a song that also features Billy Bragg, followed by the throbbing “The Vulture Circle.” Al Barr, the Dropkick Murphys singer who has been on hiatus for a few years, contributed vocals to “For the People,” which is a great moment.

The music of Dropkick Murphys was inspired by punk rock bands like The Ramones and The Clash, as well as Irish music icons like The Pogues. With “One Last Goodbye,” the band pays homage to The Pogues’ singer, Shane MacGowan, who recently passed away.

Ken Casey wrote “Chesterfields and Aftershave” about his grandfather, making it an emotional moment on the album. However, it isn’t sadness that dominates. It’s a respectful memory with a melancholic vibe and a swinging musical framework that touches the heart.

The hardest musical punch on the album is “The Big Man,” a thunderous punk rock anthem about Fletcher Dragge, the guitarist of Pennywise.

Dropkick Murphys’s thirteenth studio album seamlessly connects to previous releases, and the band continues its streak of remarkable albums. Musically powerful and lyrically relevant, that is Dropkick Murphys, and that is what drives “For the People”. This album is truly for the people, and listening to these songs is like getting a boost of energy.