Cage the Elephant Makes Sense of Tragedy in Gentle “Out Loud”

Cage the Elephant's latest single, “Out Loud,” is the sound of a band growing up. The group wrote the tune after the death of brothers Matthew Shultz (vocals) and Brad Shultz (guitar)'s father, and the song, an elegiac piano ballad, finds them coming to terms with their regrets. “Man, I really messed up now,” Matthew cries. “I'm too scared to say it out loud.” The tune is a prelude to the group's upcoming sixth album, Neon pill — due out May 17 — written after the deaths of the Shultz brothers' father and other friends.

Matthew believes the band found a new sense of authenticity in their loss. “Maybe it's that simple and honest, because I didn't know if it would see the light of day,” he said in a statement. “Out Loud is very much connected to my father. My dad is the reason we discovered music in the first place. When he died, “Out Loud” just poured out of me. My efforts on the song were deeply rooted in honoring him, and I knew it meant a lot to Brad as well. … It was almost a subconscious apology before I could fully grasp the gravity of it all.”

Producer John Hill, who helmed the Kentucky sextet's last album, 2019 Social cuessupervised the sessions for Neon pill, which took place in El Paso, Texas, New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. The Shultzes lost their father nine months into the pandemic and soon found themselves grieving the deaths of other friends, causing Matthew to experience depression and a mental breakdown. He sought treatment and left the hospital with a new sense of self.

That acumen led to Cage's most original album, he believes. “To me, Neon pill it's the first record where we've been consistently uninfluenced, and I mean that in a positive way,” Shultz said. “Everything is undoubtedly expressed by having managed to find our own voice. We've always been inspired by artists we love, and sometimes we've emulated some of them to some extent. With this album, having been through so much, life had almost forced us to become more and more comfortable with ourselves.” (They previously teased the album with the title track.)

They will play more of the album this summer on a 45-date North American tour. tickets will go on sale to the general public on March 8 with pre-sales in the following days. Full details are available tour/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow”>the band's website.

Cage the Elephant tour Dates:

June 20 – West Valley City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater^
June 22 – Seattle, Washington @ Climate Pledge Arena^
June 23 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater^
June 24 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater^
June 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena^
June 28 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place^
June 30 – Spokane, WA @ BECU Live @ Northern Quest^
July 2 – San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium*
July 3 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl^~
July 5 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheater^
July 6 – San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena^
July 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum^
July 9 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater^
July 11 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center^
July 12 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman^
July 13 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena^
July 15 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP^
August 2 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheater*
August 3rd – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park @ Walnut Creek^
August 4 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion*
August 7 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center^
August 8 – Madison, WI @ Breese Stevens Field^
August 10 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre^
August 12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center^
August 14 – Chicago, IL @ Credit Union 1 Arena @ UIC^
August 16 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena^
August 18 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Broadview Stage @ SPAC^
August 19 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater^
August 21 – Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion^
August 22 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center*
August 24 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center^
August 26 – Montreal, QC @ Center Bell^
August 27 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage^
August 29 – Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion @ Star Lake^
August 30 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center^
September 5 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden^
September 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion @ the Mann^
September 7 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theatre^
September 9 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center^
September 10 – Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre^
September 12 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre^
September 13 – Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena^
September 14 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre^
September 16 – Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center Omaha^
September 18 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater*

^with Young the Giant and Bakar
* with Bakar
~Date Non-Living Nation