| Neon Pill | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 17, 2024 | |||
| Length | 38:35 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | John Hill | |||
| Cage the Elephant chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Neon Pill | ||||
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Neon Pill is the sixth studio album by American rock band Cage the Elephant. It was released on May 17, 2024, by RCA Records. [1] Neon Pill follows Social Cues (2019), which marks the longest gap between two Cage the Elephant studio albums. The title track was nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. [2]
The album's full track listing was announced by Cage the Elephant on social media on March 19, 2024. [3]
The album material was written over a long, eventful period — about five years after Social Cues . The band's unusually long period between albums was due to lead singer Matt Shultz experiencing a severe mental health crisis triggered by an adverse reaction to prescribed ADHD medication, which led to paranoid delusions and a break from reality. This ultimately resulted in him being arrested for firearm possession, but he was able to recover, after which he reunited with the band and they continued to work on the album. [4] Guitarist Brad Shultz stated "Every record has its journey and this was the longest amount of time it took us to make a record, but it was meant to be what it was," while remarking that the recording process "had a lot of starts and stops but when we actually started making the record, it was maybe a month and we were done." [5] He also explained that some of the songs were inspired by their father who was also a musician, and emphasized that their influences for Neon Pill were less about "what's trending" or "discovering new music" and more about channeling what was inside them. [6]
In an interview with IHeartRadio, Shultz explained why Neon Pill was chosen for the name of the album, "I definitely went through a really difficult time where I was prescribed a medication and unknowingly went into psychosis — it can happen, it's a terrible thing if it does — but I'm a living miracle right now, so that's probably the biggest reason why we chose that as the title track." [5]
The album features lyrics reflecting Shultz's psychological descent and recovery, blending confessional songwriting with the band's evolving, genre-fluid sound. The songs "Neon Pill" and "Rainbow" trace his personal trauma, including a temporary divorce from his wife Eva. [7] "Out Loud" and "Over Your Shoulder" are references to Matt and Brad Shultz's father who died in 2020. [8]
Some tracks are more glam / swaggering rock (e.g. "Ball and Chain"). Others are more restrained or emotional soft ballads, piano-led and alt-rock textures. [8] In some cases it pulls together elements from across their past albums — not leaning heavily into one era or style, but blending them together. [8]
The album was preceded by the release of the title track as the lead single on January 19, 2024. The song was the band's first release in five years. [9] The second single, "Out Loud", was released on February 29, 2024, simultaneously with the album's announcement. The third and fourth singles, "Good Time" and "Metaverse", were released on April 5 and May 3 respectively. [10] [11]
The songs "Neon Pill", "Out Loud" and "Metaverse" all topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. [12]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100 [13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [14] |
| Clash | 7/10 [15] |
| Paste | 7.8/10 [16] |
| Rolling Stone | [17] |
| The Daily Cardinal | 7/10 [18] |
Upon release, Neon Pill received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream publications, the album has an average score of 74 based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [13] Stephen Thomas from AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating "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." [14] Arin Chandra of The Daily Cardinal wrote "Although it is not as strong as the band's other albums in terms of instrumental power and catchiness, the themes of self-struggle and acceptance ring true in their latest work. It marks another addition to their impressive and unique discography and is a solid return to form after a five-year hiatus." [18]
All tracks are written by Matt Shultz, Brad Shultz, Nick Bockrath, Matthan Minster, Daniel Tichenor, and Jared Champion, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "HiFi (True Light)" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Rainbow" | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Neon Pill" (Bockrath, Champion, Minster, B. Schulz, M. Schulz, Tichenor, Vlad Holiday) | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Float Into the Sky" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Metaverse" (Bockrath, Champion, Minster, B. Schulz, M. Schulz, Tichenor, Jermaine Armstead, Holiday) | 2:14 |
| 6. | "Out Loud" (M. Shultz, Caitlyn Smith) | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Ball and Chain" | 2:46 |
| 8. | "Good Time" | 3:07 |
| 9. | "Shy Eyes" | 3:12 |
| 10. | "Silent Picture" | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Same" | 2:58 |
| 12. | "Over Your Shoulder" (Bockrath, Champion, Minster, B. Schulz, M. Schulz, Tichenor, Holiday) | 3:17 |
| Total length: | 38:35 | |
Cage the Elephant
Additional contributors
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Physical Albums (SNEP) [19] | 86 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) [20] | 67 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [21] | 47 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) [22] | 50 |
| US Billboard 200 [23] | 57 |
| US Top Rock & Alternative Albums ( Billboard ) [24] | 15 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) | 12 |
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| Studio albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
