Searching for the Young Soul Rebels is the debut studio album by English band Dexys Midnight Runners, released on 11 July 1980, through Parlophone and EMI Records.

It also contains two other charting singles: "Dance Stance" (re-recorded as "Burn It Down") and "There, There, My Dear" (which included the lyrics "I've been searching for the young soul rebels" that inspired the album's title).

[2] In 1976, Kevin Rowland formed a punk band called the Killjoys, based in Birmingham, England, which gained minor success with the release of their single "Johnny Won't Get to Heaven"/"Naïve" in 1977.

Later that summer the band would create their name, after the drug Dexedrine which was used by fans of Northern soul, and began a rigorous rehearsing and writing schedule, practising for about 9 hours every day.

[4][5] In November 1978, the band entered the UK live circuit and gained a reputation for their strong performances, which included covers of classic soul songs and originals.

[4] Rowland and Archer employed a strict code of conduct, ruling out drinking or drug use before performances, and introduced many of the band members to activities such as shoplifting expeditions and bumping trains.

[7] Organist Andy Leek left the group during the sessions, only appearing on two songs ("Geno", which was previously recorded, and "Thankfully Not Living in Yorkshire It Doesn't Apply"), leading to the return of Pete Saunders.

[7] Searching for the Young Soul Rebels opens with the sound of radio static, from which snippets of "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple, "Holidays in the Sun" by Sex Pistols and "Rat Race" by the Specials can be heard.

[6] Just before the release of the album the band underwent a sell-out UK tour titled Intense Emotions Review, with support from comedian Keith Allen.

The album cover features a photograph of a 13-year-old Irish Catholic boy carrying his belongings after being forced from his home in Belfast, Northern Ireland because of civil unrest in 1971.

In NME, Danny Baker deemed it one of the "finest" albums of its era, while in Sounds, Alan Lewis applauded Dexys Midnight Runners for offering a modern spin on 1960s soul music.

AllMusic critic Ned Raggett remarked that on the album, Rowland "takes a role that Morrissey would have in 1985 and Jarvis Cocker in 1995 – the unexpected but perfect voice to capture a time and moment in the U.K – the return of 'soul' to English rock music at the dawn of Thatcherism.

"[19] Daryl Easlea of BBC Music wrote that "Young Soul Rebels – fierce, raging and passionate – remains one of the greatest debut albums of all time".

[33] In a retrospective review following the album's 2010 reissue, Graeme Thomson of Uncut concluded that "ultimately, the myth-making around Kevin Rowland tends to obscure the fact that he's been responsible for some truly soul-scorching music", and that "at 30 years of age, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels continues to burn.

"[11] Tom Ewing, writing in Pitchfork, praised it as Dexys Midnight Runners' "tightest and most consistent" record,[25] while Drowned in Sound's Neil Ashman called it "damned near perfect.