Tell Me I'm Pretty by Cage the Elephants (RCA Records)

Cage The Elephant debuted their fourth studio album Tell Me I’m Pretty on Dec. 18. While the album is an easy listen, at times it feels simply like an extension of their previous album Melophobia. The band, with help from producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, delivers an album that is more introspective than the band’s signature edgy songs, but it lacks variety.

Lead single “Mess Around” opens with a catchy guitar riff and the echoing sounds of “ahhh oh no” sung in the background. The song is a mix between modern alternative rock with a 1960s rock spin.

The sounds of mystic rock ‘n’ roll can be heard with the track “Too Late To Say Goodbye.” The bass guitar throughout the song keeps the tone steady, which allows for the audience to focus on the poetic lyrics. The song tells the story of love gone wrong and details the feeling of being under a lovesick spell.

The follow-up single “Trouble” stays with the atmospheric bass line as in “Too Late To Say Goodbye,” but unfortunately is too similar to many of the songs on this and previous albums. The song sticks with the same theme of dark poetic lyrics and an ominous tone.

Tell Me I’m Pretty is an album that is a throwback to the sounds of 1960s rock and of previous albums. The album’s downfall comes due to the lack of variety in content. Cage The Elephant played it too safe with this record.

—Morgan Mackey