Following his arrest for illegal possession of two loaded guns in 2023, Cage The Elephant frontman Matt Shultz has opened up about the “mental health crisis” he faced. Shultz was apprehended the day following an alleged sighting of a handgun in the public toilets of the Bowery Hotel in Lower Manhattan. Prosecutors claimed he appeared intoxicated at the time and two guns and a set of 11 Polaroid photos, some showing the firearm in question, were found in his hotel room by the police. He later pleaded guilty to three charges and received a no-jail plea deal.
Shultz also revealed that his arrest saved his life, which was the starting point for him to begin treatment for the mental health crisis that had been slowly developing over the previous three years. “Over the last three years, I was unknowingly fighting my way through an utter mental health crisis,” said Shultz. “In a short time, I had slipped into psychosis due to an iatrogenic response to a medication I was prescribed.” He went on to say that the love and support of his friends, family, bandmates and wife, as well as professional treatment, had been instrumental in his recovery.
In January 2022, Cage The Elephant released “Neon Pill,” their first new song in five years. The track sees Shultz observing a failed romance, and is the band’s first piece of new music since their album “Social Cues” from 2019. “Social Cues” received a 4-star review, and Andrew Trendell from NME wrote in his review, “‘The War Is Over’ and ‘What I’m Becoming’ both have that sombre and smokey lounge act feel of The Last Shadow Puppets or Mini Mansions, but just revisit the more refined moments on ‘Melophobia’ and ‘Tell Me I’m Pretty’ and you’ll realise that it’s a guise that Cage The Elephant have carried within them all along.”
For anyone dealing with similar issues, Shultz has issued a list of mental health resources at the end of his Instagram post, including several organizations that exist specifically to help musicians struggling with addiction, alcoholism, or mental health
Read the full article on NME here: Read More