Five years and a three-year psychotic episode later, Cage the Elephant are back—and they’re not here to mess around. Neon Pill is the Kentucky band’s sixth album, and their first since 2019. Singer-songwriter Matt Shultz describes the record as the first time they were “consistently uninfluenced.” “With this album, having gone through so much, life had almost forced us into becoming more and more comfortable with ourselves,” he continued. “We weren’t reaching for much outside of the pure experience of self-expression, and simultaneously not necessarily settling either. We just found a uniqueness in simply existing.”
Shultz suffered from an episode of psychosis due to an iatrogenic response to a prescribed medication, and in January 2023 he was charged with criminal possession of firearms after police found guns inside his Lower East Side hotel room. Shultz says the arrest “undoubtedly saved [his] life.” “It’s a miracle that I’m here today,” Shultz wrote in a statement posted to Instagram in February of this year. “After my arrest, I went to the hospital for two months followed by months of outpatient treatment… It took the love and support of my brothers in the band, my community, and, most of all, my wife Eva to get me through it.”
It is impossible to review this album without contextualizing Shultz’s mental health journey, as it’s written throughout it. Neon Pill reflects this personal growth in its mature sound. While grunge glimmers of their earlier work still shine through, this is their cleanest album to date. It kicks off on a high note with “HiFi (True Light),” a sonically refreshing track that stands out for how much it contrasts with the melancholic tunes of Cage the Elephant’s past, leaning into its own pop influences without straying too far from the band’s rock ‘n’ roll soul. “Rainbow” pushes forward with tight, steady drum beats from Jared Champion and groovy guitar rhythms from Brad Shultz. The song leads listeners into “Neon Pill,” which makes a nod to Matt’s post-treatment clarity: “Like a loaded gun, my love / I lost control of the wheel / Double-crossed by a neon pill.”
Though “Neon Pill” brings listeners the classic Cage the Elephant rock ‘n’ roll sound they may have been craving, it is the album’s most “cookie-cutter” rock song. While its release in January was a welcomed invitation back into the band’s sphere, it doesn’t stand out on the album as a whole—almost arriving as a muted version of a track that would have better thrived on their last album, Social Cues, or even their 2015 album, Tell Me I’m Pretty, if it had a stronger groove. However, the band proved themselves a lasting formidable force in alternative rock with Neon Pill’s third single, “Good Time.” The track is akin to many cuts from Social Cues, but alongside the band’s classically rich riffs and heavy drumming, Matt Shultz’s vocals almost become sinister as they drop an octave at the arrival of a dystopian-like chorus, marking a true distinction between Neon Pill and their previous work. Cage the Elephant have reached a new era.
“Ball And Chain” and “Silent Picture” also standout, with infectious basslines and an old-school groove. The latter is simply fun and exemplifies each band member returning to the studio with a renewed love of music and collaboration. On closing track, “Over Your Shoulder,” mourns the Shultz brothers’ father, who passed away in 2020. The two brothers inherited hundreds of cassette tapes and discovered they were filled with their dad’s songs. Though Matt Shultz aimed to “imitate and emulate” their musical influences less on this record, the song reflects their father’s style. While the arc is about moving past grief, “Over Your Shoulder” aligns well with the album’s themes of healing and self-work. “Don’t look back over your shoulder / I know it’s not easy to ask / When it feels like it gets coldеr / Every season will pass,” Matt sings.
Arriving at just under 40 minutes, Neon Pill is some of Cage the Elephant’s most polished work to date—an emblem of the delicate care for their craft, healing and the community all funneled into its making. Fans looking for a classic rock track may find solace in “Metaverse,” but Neon Pill is no Thank You, Happy Birthday or Melophobia. Instead, it’s a mixture of the band’s most successful elements, such as the nonchalant rock that propelled “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” into legendary status, and a bounty of newer, indie pop elements fluid enough to appeal to a younger generation’s taste.
