Cage The Elephant detail their new album, 'Neon Pill,' and reveal North American tour

Cage The Elephant have announced the release of their sixth studio album, along with a brand new single and its accompanying tour.

Listen to Cage The Elephant Radio and more on the free Audacy app

Named after their January single, Neon Pill has been announced as the next album from Cage The Elephant and is set to be released on May 17. “To me, Neon Pill is the first record where we were consistently uninfluenced, and I mean that in a positive way,” frontman Matthew Shultz said in a press release. Thus, the band is promising not only new music, but a new take on music itself.

Neon Pill will be the band’s first LP and release of original songs since 2019’s Social Cues . The album will surely reflect how Cage The Elephant has changed in the past five years, as the band has not only experienced the uncertainty of the pandemic, but the adversity of losing loved ones, battling mental health issues, and the death of singer Matthew and guitarist Brad ’s father. “With this album, having gone through so much, life had almost forced us into becoming more and more comfortable with ourselves,” Shultz explained. “We weren’t reaching for much outside of the pure experience of self expression, and simultaneously not necessarily settling either. We just found a uniqueness in simply existing.”

In addition to the full album announcement, Cage The Elephant has also released its second single, titled “Out Loud.” Inspired by the passing of the brothers' father, the song is described as the “emotional centerpiece” of their upcoming album. “Out Loud” begins as a piano ballad alongside Matt Schultz’s raspy, almost tired voice. And as the song builds, so does its emotion - with a string section, more reverb, and stark lyrics intensifying one another. “I don’t wanna mess up now / Too afraid to say it out loud” the chorus rings out.

“Maybe it’s so straightforward and honest, because I didn’t know if it would see the light of day,”  Matthew Shultz said about the single. “‘Out Loud’ is very connected to my father. My dad’s the reason we discovered music in the first place. When he died, ‘Out Loud’ just poured out of me.”

The frontman went on to explain how the song became so much more than an honorary piece. Rather, it seems to address the entire band’s story since 2019, including Matthew’s own mental health struggles. In an Instagram post published Wednesday, the frontman revealed he had experienced depression and a mental breakdown in 2023. “[Song ‘Out Loud’] was almost a subconscious apology of sorts before I was fully capable of grasping the gravity of it all,” Shultz said in the album press release.

Out of the darkness, Cage The Elephant has grown stronger than ever and is ready to show off their Neon Pill to the world. Or, at least to North America, where the album summer tour is set to begin.

Live Nation is sponsoring nearly 45 concert dates set from June to September 2024. Alongside openers Young the Giant and Bakar , the band will be traveling from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and even up to Canada. A few music festivals are included in the announcement, such as Bonnaroo and Oceans Calling . Tickets will officially go on sale Friday, March 8th, but don’t worry too much - the band will be hosting numerous presales via their fan club , Discord , and more.

Listen to “Out Loud” above, and while waiting for the full album, be sure to tune in to Cage The Elephant Radio on the free Audacy app.