Dinosaur Pile-Up have just dropped their latest banger, the gnarly Big Dogs, taken from their first new album in six years, I’ve Felt Better, which will be released on 22 August via Mascot Records.
Matt Bigland relishes the “power in positivity” of the larger-than-life Big Dogs – a gleeful takedown of ass-backwards celebrity freebie culture where the richest and most successful always ‘eat for free’ while needy nobodies scrabble for scraps.’
“Big Dogs is a big dumb song about the fact that when you’re rich and famous people give you everything for free – but when you’re hustling down at the bottom nobody gives your broke ass anything! And that doesn’t make any sense!!” Bigland says. “It should surely be the other way around!! I love this song because it feels like The Viagra Boys and Pantera fucked and then Slayer turned up for the solo. It’s cool!”
The song features extra vocals from Karen Dió, Larry Hibbitt (Hundred Reasons), and Jaws The Shark. The band have revealed a skit video to accompany it; Matt vs a big dog – check it out over their Instagram page. “I got to hang out with a giant Doberman for the day, which was so cool!” he says. “I love big dogs like that. Giving it a stroke was like stroking an actual horse. Then I got to writhe on the ground for a couple hours with a leaf blower on full power pointed at my head. Which was, y’know… weird.”
Big Dogs is the third single to be taken from the reinvigorated alt-rock heroes. In April, they dropped the raucous and defiant My Way and before that ‘Bout to Lose It, which was their first new music since 2019’s Celebrity Mansions and it announced their return in a big way. The track is five years of pent-up emotion—hope, despair, resignation, and colossal bravery—let loose into a blistering 3:40 minutes of Dinosaur Pile-Up at their absolute best.
They are also “absolutely buzzing” about the chance to let it rip on a UK tour in September, starting on 5th at XOYO, Birmingham. They then play; SWX – Bristol, Garage – Glasgow, New Century Hall – Manchester and finish on 13 September at the Electric Ballroom, London.
There were six people in the ward the second time that Matt Bigland admitted himself to hospital. Three of them didn’t make it out alive. It’s easy to recognise why they are tightly coiled and ready to go because overcoming life-threatening illness and finding a fresh perspective on life will do that to you. As so much time has passed since their last studio album. “People need clarity about what happened,” he explained. “It’s been so cathartic to lay it out.” He began documenting his story on the band’s Instagram account in December 2024 – You can see it in his own words here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4.
Tracklist:
1. ‘Bout To Lose It
2. I’ve Felt Better
3. Punk Kiss
4. Sick Of Being Down
5. My Way
6. Big Dogs
7. Big You And Me
8. Love’s The Worst
9. Quasimodo Melonheart
10. Sunflower
11. Unfamiliar
12. I Don’t Love Nothing And Nothing Loves Me
UK Tour Dates
Fri 5 Sep – XOYO, Birmingham – Tickets
Sat 6 Sep – Electric Bristol, Bristol – Tickets
Tue 9 Sep – Garage, Glasgow – Tickets
Thurs 11 Sep – New Century Hall, Manchester – Tickets
Sat 13 Sep – Electric Ballroom, London – Tickets
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