Pig Pen drops ferocious debut album “Mental Madness” – new single “Rabid Beach” out now

Canadian hardcore outfit Pig Pen is charging full speed ahead with the release of their debut album “Mental Madness”, dropping June 27th via Flatspot Records. To build the hype, the band just unleashed a blistering new single, “Rabid Beach”, giving fans a fierce taste of what’s to come.

Pig Pen is stacked with serious firepower. Fronted by Matty Matheson—yes, the chef and actor from The Bear—the band also features 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). With deep roots in the hardcore and punk scenes, this supergroup isn’t messing around.

The creation of “Mental Madness” was as raw and urgent as the music itself. The songs were written in a single day and recorded the next. The band handled the production on their own, while mixing duties were taken on by Arthur Rizk (Cold World, Fucked Up, Power Trip) and mastering was done by Grammy-winner Alan Douches (Black Breath, Aborted).

The record fuses the relentless energy of ’80s hardcore with a gritty rock’n’roll swagger, diving headfirst into themes of isolation, loneliness, and mental struggle. “You can be surrounded by friends on a beautiful day, and your mind can still ruin it,” says Matheson. “It doesn’t matter how good or bad your life is — you can still hate yourself. I have to ask myself, why do I feel the way I feel?”

Pig Pen made their explosive live debut on April 25th at Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto, and the crowd response was pure chaos—in the best way. Now with “Rabid Beach”, they’re keeping that unhinged momentum going. The track is a wild, furious ride that’s impossible to ignore.

1. Rabid Beach
2. Heat Wave
3. Pig Pen
4. Power Love Train
5. Mental Mentality
6. Highway
7. Venom Moon Rising
8. Problem Mind
9. Howl & Veil
10. XJXIXDX