mental has been played on NTS in shows including No Bells w/ Mano Sundaresan, featured first on 19 January 2024. Songs played include Mosquito and Medicine.

Mental were an American hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, active between 2001 and 2006. The band’s lineup included vocalist Greg Wilmott, guitarist Dan “Dookie” Ducas, bassist Derek Scace, and drummer Justin DeTore. Emerging during a resurgence of Boston hardcore in the early 2000s, the group became a central figure in what came to be known as the “Lockin’ Out” scene, named after the independent label Lockin’ Out Records run by Wilmott. Alongside bands such as Justice, the Wrongside, and Righteous Jams, Mental helped shape a sound that drew heavily on the New York Hardcore tradition of the late 1980s, with influences from acts like Straight Ahead, Breakdown, and Supertouch.

Their earliest output included two demos, followed by their debut EP And You Know This (2002) on Lockin’ Out. Shortly after, they released Get an Oxygen Tank (2003) on Boston’s Bridge 9 Records, gaining wider attention before returning to Lockin’ Out for subsequent releases, including the Yo! EP (2004) and their only full-length, Planet Mental (2005). Their lyrics often addressed themes such as friendship, mistakes, regret, and straight edge, reflecting both personal experiences and the broader ethos of the hardcore scene.

Known for their energetic live performances, Mental toured extensively in the United States and Europe, sharing stages with bands like Justice and Rise and Fall, and appearing at festivals including Posi Numbers. Though firmly associated with straight edge, members of the band emphasized a personal and non-dogmatic approach to the lifestyle.

Mental disbanded in 2006, leaving behind three EPs and one album that continue to be regarded as defining documents of early 2000s Boston hardcore. After the breakup, members remained active in the hardcore scene: Scace and DeTore went on to play in groups such as Step Forward, Cold World, Righteous Jams, and Mind Eraser, while Greg Wilmott has continued to operate Lockin’ Out Records, which remains closely linked to the legacy of the band.

Numair Alam, known professionally as Mental and 7mental7, is an American digicore rapper, singer, recording artist and producer from the collectives 7serene, helix tears, lastplace, noheart and graveem1nd. They often collaborate with fellow SoundCloud artist blxty and other artists in the SoundCloud scene.

Mental was the name of another hardcore punk band from Shizuoka, Japan. They released two tracks on the Shizuoka City HC compilation in 1991.