“Neon Pill” – Cage the Elephant

Album: Neon Pill

Artist: Cage the Elephant

Year: 2024

Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop

Grade: C

Once upon a time in 2013, Cage the Elephant was threatening to become the next big thing: an indie/alternative rock band with a slew of mainstream hits and plenty of crossover appeal. “Come a Little Closer” was a genuinely good song! They played actual electric guitars!! Upon further investigation, however, it was apparent that Cage the Elephant was just a one-trick pony capable of occasionally stumbling across a good, jittery melody. The band was never heard from again.

Only that’s not true — 10 years on from their peak popularity and five years since their last album, Cage the Elephant returns with Neon Pill, their sixth studio album. And they’re just as bland and inoffensive and unimaginable as you remember, except even worse now.

A few of the songs carry their signature catchy sound: semi-psychedelic soundscapes that are heavily indebted to Alex Turner, Julian Casablancas, Ezra Koenig and Gotye. Those songs are “HiFi (True Light),” “Silent Picture” and “Same,” all of which I would call almost-good, or at least not-bad. And the closing tune, “Over Your Shoulder,” is heavily indebted to Black Francis, which I would call actually-decent.

But all the rest of the album is piss-poor. The choruses and song structures are repetitive and predictable; the forays into pop or rap or whatever-the-hell are mind-boggling and mind-numbingly dull (“Rainbow” and “Good Time” are repulsive); and the penchant to end every song with an inconclusive sputter is proof that the Shultz brothers and their cohorts don’t know the first thing about good tunecraft. Which is a shame because, for the most part, they are decent musicians: drummer Jared Champion and bassist Daniel Tichenor know how to keep a steady post-punk rhythm, and even singer Matt Shultz has a pleasant voice when he staggers into the right range.

But whichever way you slice it, Neon Pill isn’t worth mine, yours or even Cage the Elephant’s time. For indie pop-rock with a little more soul and a few more brains, spin your copies of AM and The New Abnormal. They don’t make corporate rock like they used to.

NOTES & CHORDS

• If you’re a devout fan of Cage the Elephant, then I’m curious to know what you think of “Over Your Shoulder,” the final and finest song on the album, mainly because it sounds the least like Cage the Elephant. That’s why I enjoy it.

• Major Vampire Weekend vibes from “Shy Eyes.” And I wouldn’t be surprised if “Metaverse” was repurposed from a discarded track from The New Abnormal sessions. Indie rock bands all over the world would do well to make sure their garbage bins are secure from thieves in the night.

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