May 12, 2026—Celebrated guitarist and songwriter Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac) and his band The Dirty Knobs are debuting the new track “No Regrets” off their upcoming full length record Mission of Mercy, which is due June 12 via Soundly Music/Thirty Tigers. Stream/share the track HERE.
Campbell notes, “‘No Regrets’ was written the night before we recorded it. It’s like a movie in song about a fictional character who’s run out of town on a bum rap. What you hear is The Dirty Knobs’ first take; it’s basically saying, ‘let go of the past and go on living your life!’ Carried along by a Rickenbacker 12 string, our producer George Drakoulias says it has ‘gravitas.’”
Mission of Mercy is Campbell’s fourth album with The Dirty Knobs, featuring appearances from the B-52s’ Kate Pierson and Morgane Stapleton alongside the Dirty Knobs’ Chris Holt (guitars, keys), Lance Morrison (bass) and Campbell’s fellow Heartbreaker Steve Ferrone (drums, percussion). Pre-order the album HERE and see below for the complete track list.
Mission of Mercy displays Campbell’s full songwriting range, with tracks ranging from the unbridled rock & roll of “I Remember” to the Americana ballad “More Than Gold” and even the Brian Wilson-inspired psychedelia of the title track. Campbell states that “Mission Of Mercy is an action-packed collection of tunes that continue the vibe we established as well as some new directions in the songwriting. It’s full-throttle Knobs from start to finish and we look forward to playing these live this year.”
Campbell is on tour throughout the summer in support of the new record, with upcoming performances including dates with Chris Stapleton. In addition to touring with The Dirty Knobs, Campbell will unveil a selection of hits from across his career, including a number of tracks by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, arranged for orchestra and performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the Atlanta Symphony Hall on September 12. See below for a complete list of shows.
Mission of Mercy follows the Dirty Knobs’ 2024 album Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits—the subject of extensive critical acclaim from NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, Consequence, Salon and more—and once again finds the band collaborating with co-producers George Drakoulias and Martin Pradler.
Last year saw the release of Campbell’s New York Times Best Selling memoir Heartbreaker, which Rolling Stone hailed as “essential…a vividly told new autobiography,” while the Los Angeles Times praised its “tale of endurance and patience rewarded” and No Depression proclaimed it “does what the best music memoirs do: encourage readers to listen once again, or for the first time, to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and to Campbell’s solo works.” The book is now available in a new paperback edition, available for purchase HERE. See what the press had to say about Heartbreaker HERE.
The Dirty Knobs (named after tech slang for a broken amp dial) were founded in 2000 by Campbell as a writing and club-date project outside the Heartbreakers. The group finally got on record with 2020’s Wreckless Abandon and 2022’s External Combustion. Those LPs, Campbell says, were the Knobs “trying to find our way as a rock & roll band.” “Now it’s down to great songs,” adds Campbell, “the depth in the lyrics and chords.” He recalls something Petty once told him: “Tom said, ‘I love the English language. There’s so much you can do with it.’ I’m discovering that, too. Looking for rhyme schemes, the right word. At first it was a struggle. Now that door has opened,” Campbell says. “I’ve turned a corner.” The Dirty Knobs are “still a rock band but growing into different feels.”