The plan was to start a band that was all longtime friends. The idea was to embrace the scene they grew up in. The result is Pig Pen. The band is made up of vocalist Matty Matheson (chef, restaurateur, and actor from FX’s The Bear), guitarists Wade MacNeil (Alexisonfire, Dooms Children) and Daniel Romano, drummer Ian Romano (Daniel Romano’s Outfit), and bassist Tommy Major (Daniel Romano’s Outfit, Young Guv). The music is tough, harsh, intense, noisy, soulful - a blitz of pure hardcore energy. After warming up with a frenzied, sold out show at Toronto venue Sneaky Dee’s in late April, Pig Pen now announce their recorded debut. Mental Madness will release on June 27th through pivotal hardcore label Flatspot Records, a home for many breakthrough acts including Speed, Scowl, and End It. The first song arrives in “Mental Mentality,” highlighted by stomping rhythms, breakneck riffs, and a raged vocals. Matheson delivers “I have the mental madness. I’m sick. I’m sick. I’m sick.” as a cathartic release begging to be screamed back to. After spending months passing along riffs and playlists filled with inspiration, the ten tracks on Mental Madness were written in a day and recorded the next. With a band made up of career musicians, the do-it-yourself approach for the album was a no-brainer, taking the wheel by self-recording and producing. The tracks were sent off to Arthur Rizk (Cold World, Fucked Up, Power Trip) for mixing and Grammy award-winning engineer Alan Douches for mastering. The album packs grit and bounce, combining elements of ‘80s hardcore with true rock and roll flair. The subject matter on Mental Madness sticks to themes that Matheson describes as “mental health shit”: topics like isolation, loneliness, and “letting your mind destroy you.” “You can be having a beautiful day, surrounded by friends,” Matheson explains, “and your brain can continuously ruin it. No matter how good or bad your life is, you can still hate yourself. I’ve got to ask myself why am I feeling the ways I’m feeling?” In other words, the record is about experiencing life, feeling all the feelings in the sunshine and the dark corners. Pushing through negative mindsets with positive energy and profound friendship, Pig Pen have created something that is not only a fun release but one that is set to be a landmark album in the genre.