Social Cues
Fifth studio album by American rock band Cage the Elephant.
Cage the Elephant's fifth studio album, Social Cues, was announced on January 31, 2019, and came out on April 19, 2019. It took home the Grammy for Best Rock Album at the 62nd ceremony, marking the band's second win in that category, following Tell Me I'm Pretty.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Cage the Elephant
- Released
- April 19, 2019
- Recorded
- 2018
- Genre
- Art rock
- garage rock
- alternative rock
- Length
- 44:35
- Label
- RCA
- Producer
- John Hill
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broken Boy | B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, John Hill | 2:43 |
| 2 | Social Cues | B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, Hill | 3:39 |
| 3 | Black Madonna | 3:47 | |
| 4 | Night Running (with Beck) | B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, Beck Hansen, Natalie Belle Bergman | 3:28 |
| 5 | Skin and Bones | 3:16 | |
| 6 | Ready to Let Go | 3:08 | |
| 7 | House of Glass | 2:35 | |
| 8 | Love's the Only Way | 4:01 | |
| 9 | The War Is Over | 3:16 | |
| 10 | Dance Dance | B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, Hill | 3:10 |
| 11 | What I'm Becoming | 3:50 | |
| 12 | Tokyo Smoke | 3:26 | |
| 13 | Goodbye | 4:16 | |
| Total length | 44:35 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Music and lyrical themes
Producer John Hill guided the band toward cleaner, more atmospheric production, a departure from the raw, vintage sound of Tell Me I'm Pretty. He encouraged them to step outside their comfort zone and construct a distinct world for each song. The sessions incorporated analog synthesizers, ambient effects, live band takes, and studio experimentation, resulting in a sound unlike their previous work. The band explored more intricate arrangements and drew from electronic pop, glam, and even reggae influences. David Campbell, a composer and arranger who is the father of musician Beck, contributed to the album. That family connection led Beck to help complete "Night Running," a track the band had struggled to finish. Matt Shultz noted that the song was nearly complete except for the verses; Brad sent it to Beck without telling the others, and Beck returned with verses shortly after. Thematically, the record moves between bleak introspection and sonic vibrancy, a contrast underscored by Shultz's lyrical ambiguity and vocal delivery. Tracks like "Broken Boy" and "What I'm Becoming" explore existential confusion, while "Night Running" uses funk-driven surrealism to mask darker themes. Shultz emphasized engaging with the full emotional spectrum, from frustration and anger in "Tokyo Smoke" to quiet resignation and fragile hope in "Goodbye."
Release and promotion
The album's lead single, "Ready to Let Go," dropped on January 31, 2019, with a music video helmed by frontman Matt Shultz. A video for the title track "Social Cues" arrived on October 24, 2019, and clips for "Night Running" and "Black Madonna" were also produced. Three singles—"Ready to Let Go," "Social Cues," and "Skin and Bones"—each hit number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. On May 4, 2019, Cage the Elephant played the title track on Adult Swim's FishCenter Live. That summer, they supported the album on the "Night Running Tour" with Beck. The record reached number 21 on the Billboard 200, number 2 on Top Rock Albums, and number 3 on Top Alternative Albums, also charting in 11 countries.
Reception
Social Cues received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic it scored 75 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews," and it holds an average rating of 6.7 on AnyDecentMusic?. David Fricke of Rolling Stone gave it 4/5, writing that Matt Shultz's life fell apart and the band made their best album yet. Under The Radar's Matt called it a "power-packed collection of raucous rhythms, bouncy beats, and rough riffs" with emotional intensity akin to Cherry Glazerr, Wolf Alice, and The Kills, deeming it a 2019 Top 10 contender. Stephen Thomas of AllMusic noted that the band dampened the squalls of White Stripes, Strokes, and Pixies that defined their early records, emphasizing their nature as pop-pastiche artists favoring style and sound over finely honed song. Consequence of Sound observed that the album centers on Shultz's recent divorce, giving it a somber weight distinct from its predecessor. Social Cues won Best Rock Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020.
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