Cage The Elephant have entered another phase of their career with "Dying In Reverse", a new single that came out Thursday. It finds the band leaning further into the atmosphere following "Beaches In Tennessee" without losing their signature restless energy.
The song suggests that their next album could take the group somewhere considerably different from Neon Pill, as dreamy guitars drift around while synth textures fill the spaces between them.
There's a looseness to the track that immediately separates it from a straightforward alternative-rock single, giving leader Matthew Shultz plenty of room to deliver the song with a reflective rather than explosive performance.
A song about leaving an old self behind from Cage The Elephant
The title sounds bleak at first, but "Dying In Reverse" is ultimately concerned with renewal. Shultz moves beyond the ego here to find a stronger sense of purpose. That idea gives the track an unusual emotional balance by resembling death while sounding increasingly alive.
Rather than turning that concept into a heavy-handed confession, Cage The Elephant approaches it through surreal imagery and repetition. The lyrics feel less interested in explaining a specific event than in capturing the sensation of emerging from one state of mind and entering another.
That makes the song particularly effective as a companion to "Beaches In Tennessee". Where the previous single was tied more directly to Shultz's experiences during a serious period of psychological turmoil, "Dying In Reverse" looks to the aftermath of the crisis.
Cage The Elephant slow things down without losing themselves
Musically, the song is one of the more restrained pieces Cage The Elephant have released. There's less emphasis on making every moment hit immediately and more on establishing an atmosphere that gradually sinks in.
The chorus is where the psychedelic influence becomes most apparent, where repeated vocal lines and layered instrumentation create a hypnotic effect. The track feels almost weightless, which is a nice contrast to the band's more aggressive material.
Working with Justin Raisen and Jeremiah Raisen has introduced a different creative environment for the band, and "Dying In Reverse" benefits from that willingness to let the arrangement develop naturally. Its guitars have a woozy quality, and the arrangement surrounds Shultz rather than competing with him.
An encouraging glimpse at what comes next
"Dying In Reverse" expands our current look at Cage The Elephant's next record, which is important for a band that changes its sound from album to album. It takes its time, embraces a more spacious sound, and turns a difficult subject into something surprisingly hopeful.
Shultz's increasingly personal writing gives that musical shift additional weight. The song's hazy production complements the changing way you see yourself and the world around you, overall becoming a promising second look at this new chapter that's still being kept secret.
Cage The Elephant has never been interested in standing still, and this single suggests that their next evolution could be one of their most intriguing yet. They'll be playing the halftime show for the NFL game in Munich, Germany, on November 15th, where they might reveal even more about what's to come.
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