Neon Pill

Sometimes, Cage the Elephant’s lyrics can veer into a teen angst that jars against their middle-aged image: “I don’t want to play those games, will we ever be the same?”. But when they sound this good, they can just about get away with it.

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.

If perhaps lacking something as standout as ‘Mess Around’ or ‘Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked’, it is a welcome return for the Kentucky rockers showing after nearly 20 years together they still know how to groove.

In terms of tone, production, and energy, Neon Pill feels connected to Social Cues. And like that album, there is plenty to enjoy, even without the powerful guitars and frenzied vocals. This softer Cage still has the grooves and melodies to keep things interesting while the band gets more comfortable.

The album may have been written during a dark night of the soul but it was recorded with precision and concentration, ultimately obscuring the pain at the point of origin. It's an approach that hardly does a disservice to either Shultz or Cage the Elephant: it gives Neon Pill an alluring, subdued pulse that soothes instead of stirs.