By: Julia Ristoska

Cage the Elephant return with their new single “Ready to Let Go” from their upcoming fifth studio album Social Cues which will be fully released April 19th. This upbeat song can be portrayed as a perfect “I am moving on from my relationship” anthem. This song is about failed relationships and learning as a individual you must learn to take control of the situation and move on. This connected deeply to lead singer Matt Shultz who just recently divorced his wife of seven years. Although the song “Ready to Let Go” talks about moving on it wasn’t such an easy journey for Matt. In the Rolling Stone article his band mate and brother mentioned that during the making of the album Brad confessed, “we’d think he was getting back to normal, then he would melt down.There was a fair amount of self-medication and intense isolation.”

His emotional instability that developed after the divorce reflects in the song. The drums are bouncy, the guitars are bright and polished which reminds me of Arctic Monkeys. Yet the instrumentation creates a cheerful tone. However, when focusing on his voice the strong and aggressive way he pronounces each word creates a very angry tone. It can be taken as passive aggressive, and makes you wonder if he moved on or saying he did just to trick his mind in believing so. The structure and lyrics of the draws listeners attentions since there is a sense of melancholy behind it despite it being a catchy radio friendly tune. Unlike their older songs like “trouble” the lyrics has a melancholy undertone as he sings, “don’t you worry, baby, no sense trying to change it// I’ma strike these matches, never had control//I’m ready to let go, no, was I fooling myself?//I’ma spread these ashes, never had control/I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready to let go.”

There is an emotional core in his lyrics that shows his relationship unfolding. Matt was very clever to structure the lyrics that has a hidden message, and requires multiple listens to get the story. In the beginning he even alludes to Pompeii, which is significant since it’s a trip he and his wife decided they needed a divorce.

There is a wave of emotions in the song and if you listen closely you can feel the pain of the breakup. However, if you came across the song on the radio it’s easy to bob your head to, and not pay attention to its meaning. The catchy instrumentation almost acts like a bandage to cover his sorrowfulness.