“We realised there’s still room to evolve and push ourselves”
Cage The Elephant have kicked off a “new chapter” with the release of ‘Beaches in Tennessee’, their first new music in two years – check it out below.
Built around Brad Shultz’s guitar, the central plea of the new track sees his brother Matt sing: “Somebody take me home/ I’m not the enemy/ I’m going back to those beaches in Tennessee.”
Talking about the creation of the song, Matt said it was a fictionalised account of a mental health crisis he suffered in previous years, something he previously told NME was “extremely traumatic”. Shultz had been detained in a hotel in 2023 for carrying firearms which were only licensed in Kentucky and Tennessee. The arrest, a court found, was the result of psychotic delusions which Shultz had been suffering from as a side-effect of medication he’d been prescribed.
“This song for me symbolises me finally being able to move past it,” he explained. “It was my attempt at reclaiming the ability to write about something serious that happened in my life, from a place of genuine experience. Having gone through what I did, I’m grateful to have the perspective that I have now. The experience gave me a greater appreciation for my life when I came out on the other side.
“I’m thankful for where I’m at now in this new chapter. As a band, we were able to reclaim the ability to write a song rooted in a difficult and turbulent real-life event, but do it in a lighthearted way. I hope it helps someone else the way it helped me.”
The track was made with producers Justin Raisen and SADPONY (Jeremiah Raisen), with Brad saying that the former “was at the top of my list” of producers to work with.
The track is also the band’s first on Big Loud Rock, and Matt said it is “definitely a new chapter”.
Brad continued: “Musically, we always want to reinvent Cage The Elephant. We’ve discovered a whole new side to our band, how we look at things, and how we make art. You’re growing constantly as an artist, and I think we’ve tapped into that growth. I do feel like we’re making the best music we’ve ever made. If anything, it’s definitely the most inspired.”
It arrives after a defining period for the Kentucky band, who came back from their run as special guests on Oasis’ ‘Live ’25 tour’ and went straight back into the studio.
“The Oasis tour really reignited our fire to dream and continue to dream,” Matt said. “I think we realised there’s still room to evolve and push ourselves, especially in the live realm. That tour added to our overall passion and desire to see this thing through. When it was over, we decided not to take a break.
“We pretty much went straight into the studio to start making music,” Matt added.
It echoes comments Brad made to NME when we caught up with him fresh off joining Oasis on all American, Canadian and Mexican dates of their massive comeback tour.
“They’re a band that I’ve always respected for their songwriting sensibility, but also the rawness and realness of that band – I’ve always gravitated towards that. They make the type of records that you can put on front to back. There’s certain bands that just don’t miss, and they’re one of those bands.”
Later this week (July 17), they’re set to support The Strokes on the Milwaukee date of their ‘Reality Awaits’ tour – find any remaining tickets here.
