Having had a couple of years away from the recording studio, following the departure of former lead guitarist, Lincoln Parish, in 2013, Cage The Elephant are back with new album, Tell Me I’m Pretty. It’s only their fourth album since their formation in 2006, so they’re pretty laid back when it comes to music production, which makes each new release a bit more of a stand-out event than if they were smashing out something mediocre every couple of years.
With an Grammy nomination for their last album, Melophobia, for Best Alternative Album, the new record comes hot on the heels of yet more success for the Bowling Green, Kentucky garage rockers. It put a little pressure on Tell Me I’m Pretty, but having listed to a few of the tracks already, it sounds like they’ll be taking it comfortably in their laid-back stride as ever, kicking out another blaster to add to their slowly developing back catalogue.
If you’re looking for a concise description of what to expect from the album, you can probably feel safe with rhythm guitarist, Brad Schultz’s take on it, as he comments that it’s like “John Wayne at an Iggy Pop show on acid”. What exactly that means is probably open to interpretation, but if tracks like Mess Around are anything to go by then it should be a whirligig of wild dancing commotion followed by a brief scuffle and a hazy period of psychedelic horse whispering.
You can check out the music video from the single below, which is fired by some brilliantly distorted electric guitar tones, a jumping riff and keenly tuned vocals. The video is as wild as the song with everything from weird sea monster battles, Wizard Of Oz-inspired witches and exploding suns, looking like the perfect psychedelic accompaniment to the song, with some similarities to the genius of Cate Le Bon’s Hollow Tree House Hounds.
With Parish leaving the band to become a music producer, there was a big line-up spot for Cage The Elephant to fill, a place that eventually went to Nick Bockrath. If a new lead guitarist wasn’t enough to shake things up then the addition of keys into the mix with Matthan Minster coming on board as the band’s keyboardist probably did the trick. Talking about the start of recording Tell Me I’m Pretty, bassist Daniel Tichenor said, “A few days into writing, things began to click and we seemed to be developing a totally new and different sound. A new bond and friendship rekindled between us, and also, bringing in some new faces changed the dynamics and everything kind of felt like a fresh new start.”
The reboot injection was also added to by the band working with a new producer on the record, bringing in Dan Auerbach of Black Keys fame to help steer the juggernaut recordings that went in to making the album. Having previously toured with the band, there was already a big affinity, but the new collaboration cemented things and his process of live recording helped the band achieve more of a raw, atmospheric and real sound.
Tell Me I’m Pretty will be making its way to a record store near you later this month with a release date on CD, vinyl and digital download on the 18th December 2015. Singles, Mess Around, Too Late To Say Goodbye and Trouble, are already available to download and if the rest of the album is as well crafted as them is shouldn’t have too much difficulty living up to the success of Melophobia.
