Cage The Elephant’s latest album is their first in five years, and comes after a trying time for the band. Neon Pill opens with ‘HiFi (True Light)’ which immediately made me nostalgic for a time when I would listen to Melophobia and Social Cues on loop. The layered vocals accompanied with the touches of funk introduce the record’s experimental style. The groove of guitarist Brad Shultz makes the second track ‘Rainbow’ a smooth listen, however the lyrics don’t quite complement the strength of the arrangement, the repetition of “floating like a rainbow” feeling monotonous and soporific; much the same is true in the title track.

‘Floating Into The Sky’ marks an experimental high point on the album with the ethereal sound complementing how I would imagine it feels to float through the sky. “I’m so tired of trying to make sense of everything I see” is a line that sticks out, nodding towards the recent turbulence in the life of frontman Matt Shultz. The song highlights a need to escape reality, to escape the consequences of our actions and the sudden transformation of the calm sound toward a sci-fi, space-like feel during the track’s final minute conveys this perfectly.

‘Out Loud’ sees an acceptance of consequence as listeners are presented with a melancholic piano ballad. The stripped back combination of the light keys and the subtle vocals make for a moving song which shows the grief of our past – perhaps better – selves and the feeling of emptiness that follows this grief.

On the whole, this record features a mix of the band’s unique capability to combine catharsis, aggression and solitude, but at times I was left feeling blank, as if nothing can live up to the phenomenon that was Melophobia. I consider the duality of the album as a fight between wanting  to break free from the band’s traditional sound (with an inability to do so), yet also trying to reinvent their sound. However, this attempt at reinvention falls short, reminding me of too many other artists such as The Strokes, Declan McKenna and even Dominic Fike: it wasn’t them, it was them trying to be something they are not.

That said, it is perhaps the curse that comes with having a massive hit song, ‘Cigarette Daydreams’ – how can you ever beat it? It feels as though they are trying too hard to better this indie classic instead of enjoying the art of making music.

Overall, Neon Pill is nothing compared to previous albums though it does still cocntain some good tracks. The record feels forced and unnatural to the band’s style, though perhaps this can only be expected after everything the band has endured in the past couple of years.