Cage The Elephant – ‘Neon Pill’ album review: Struggling to escape the same old
THE SKINNY: Cage The Elephant are one of those bands cursed with an anthem. You might argue that having a huge, timeless hit could never be a disadvantage, but the issue comes when a band is left desperately attempting to get out of their own shadow. How can they ever escape ‘Cigarette Daydream’, or free themselves from the shackles that come with soundtracking the distinct indie heyday of the 2010s?
On their latest record, Neon Pill, they struggle once again. It feels cruel to constantly compare a band to an old hit, but it feels relevant and necessary when listening to their latest. The group and that song came to represent an era of indie music that had a clear sound and style. But what would have been a huge hit back then, now only feels stale and old. While other acts have escaped, they relied on reinvention to run away. Here, it feels like Cage The Elephant are attempting to do that, but in the end only run into a series of nostalgic costumes as they try other groups on for size.
They claimed that Neon Pill is their first uninspired album, meaning that for the first time, they’ve shrugged off any and all influence that they might have previously picked up or leaned on. But in the end, it feels uninspired in the literal and derogatory sense. In some places, it feels more like a cover album than anything new or original. ‘Metaverse’ could have been plucked from The Strokes’ Room On Fire, for instance. There are plenty of shades on the palette, but they’re shades that simply don’t feel like theirs as a sense of disingenuousness permeates the release.
There are, however, some moments that see the band climb out of the landfill and stake a claim on the festival stages euphorically. ‘Hifi (True Light)’ is a strong opener with delicious energy, while ‘Ball and Chain’ offers a serious groove and more interesting textures to sink your teeth into. The second half of the album definitely offers more than the first, as the group seemed to find a second wind or simply needed a moment to find their thunder. But when they do, it’s still not quite powerful enough to drown out the echo of what’s come before.
For fans of: Existing in the 2010s, watching Skins DVD boxsets.
A concluding comment from The Strokes: “You’ll be hearing from our lawyers…”
Neon Pill track-by-track
Release date: 17th May 2024 | Producer: John Hill | Label: RCA
‘Hifi (True Light)’: A strong opener welcomes listeners into Neon Pill, sounding like a delicious return to the indie heyday of the 2010s. It sounds like tinnies in parks, first festivals and other adolescent antics. [4/5]
‘Rainbow’: As the keys come in, so does the seductive. The rolling, rich drums that pin down this track are lovely, as is the rest of the song. But it lacks a certain wow factor, falling into indie landfill territory. [3/5]
‘Neon Pill’: The expectation on the title track to somehow summarise the entire release always hangs heavy, and in Cage The Elephant’s case it does just that. ‘Neon Pill’ is just as okay as the rest of the record, with an attempt to be theatrical or futuristic that lands limp. [2.5/5]
‘Float Into The Sky’: Another classic indie banger on an album heavy with them. But as the track suddenly breaks apart in the final moments, that outro proves to be one of the most interesting moments on the record, if only it lasted longer or that energy was carried into other songs. [3/5]
‘Metaverse’: The band attempts to tackle futurism, but ends up landing straight into nostalgia with a track that sounds exactly like The Strokes’ ‘What Ever Happened?’ or any of their 2000s tracks. [2.5/5]
‘Out Loud’: It’s hard to figure out what drags this track down. Maybe it’s the cliche heavy lyricism, or maybe it’s the incredibly rough and raw vocals as if they were trying to go for a Rex Orange County bedroom vibe. But either way, it’s weak. [2/5]
‘Ball and Chain’: As the bass line for this song kicks in, with a different and dynamic vocal line, there is hope for the record after all! ‘Ball and Chain’ is undoubtedly the most interesting track, with gripping layers and a distinct groove. [4/5]
‘Good Time’: It seems that the second side brought fresh energy for the band as these later tracks are delivered with more enthusiasm and intrigue. They’re still not reinventing the wheel, but they clamber out of the landfill into more interesting territory. [3.5/5]
‘Shy Eyes’: With a lot of these songs, it’s tough to even figure out what to say. They’re good, nice enough to listen to, sure to go down well live and bring a good energy to festivals. But they’re not special or particularly engaging. This one’s exactly the same. [3/5]
‘Silent Picture’: For the majority of the album, these songs are various shades of nice and good, with the occasional shadow of great. ‘Silent Picture’ can be allowed great status as they delve into a nice 1960s meets 2000s nostalgia. [3.5/5]
‘Same’: The title of the track captures it as this is much of the same… [2.5/5]
‘Over Your Shoulder’: In classic rock record tradition, the final track is stripped back like a gentle outro. But with a thumping drum line, and a vibe not too dissimilar from their anthem ‘Cigarette Daydreams’, it’s one of the best. [4/5]
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