Photo by ​Neil Krug

Earlier this year, Cage the Elephant took their “Live & Unpeeled” tour to select cities across the US. The band brought along a string section and new arrangements of their songs, presenting fans with a rare stripped-down experience from the noted rockers. Those shows were also recording sessions, however, and now the sound of Cage unplugged is coming home as the band’s latest album, Unpeeled.

Due July 28th from RCA Records, the 21-track collection was captured during the series of intimate concerts in cities like Los Angeles, Knoxville, and Washington, DC. 18 of the songs are reworkings of the band’s own material, while the other three are covers, including The Stranglers’ “Golden Brown” and Daft Punk’s “Instant Crush”. The third remake is of the classic “Whole Wide World” by Wreckless Eric, the video for which the band is premiering today.

Cage the Elephant recorded their Unpeeled version of the 1977 tune at the Ryman Auditorium in their hometown of Nashville. In the video below, you can see how the stripped-down setting did little to stifle the band’s singular energy, especially with Matt Shultz at the helm.

“Many times you’re adding sonic layers looking for something to hide behind,” Shultz tells Consequence of Sound about the rendition, “and what you don’t realize is that that vulnerability and that nakedness might be the most compelling and interesting thing about the song.”

Check it out:

Pre-orders for Unpeeled are available via iTunes. The complete track listing and album art are below.

Unpeeled Album Artwork:

Unpeeled Tracklist:

01. Cry Baby

02. Whole Wide World

03. Sweetie Little Jean

04. Spiderhead

05. Take It Or Leave It

06. Too Late To Say Goodbye

07. Punchin’ Bag

08. Shake Me Down

09. Telescope

10. Instant Crush

11. Trouble

12. Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked

13. Rubber Ball

14. Aberdeen

15. Golden Brown

16. Cold Cold Cold

17. How Are You True

18. Come A Little Closer

19. Back Against The Wall

20. Cigarette Daydreams

21. Right Before My Eyes

Cage the Elephant have a number of tour dates coming up, most of which are festival appearances. However, they do have one more special “Live & Unpeeled” gig at London’s Union Chapel, where they’ll be accompanied by a string quartet. Find their complete itinerary below

Cage the Elephant 2017 Tour Dates:

06/23 – Beuningen, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole

06/24 – Paris, FR @ Solidays

06/27 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City

06/28 – Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed

06/30 – St. Gallen, CH @ Openair St. Gallen

07/01 – Arras, FR @ Main Square Festival

07/02 – Rotselaar, BE @ Rock Werchter

07/04 – Hradec Kralove, CZ @ Rock For People

07/06 – Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK Live

07/07 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival

07/08 – Lisbon, PT @ Nos Alive

07/10 – London, UK @ Union Chapel *

07/14 – Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival

07/23 – San Marcos, TX @ Float Fest 2017

07/28 – Oro-Medonte, ON @ Wayhome Music & Arts Festival

08/03 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

08/05 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music & Arts Festival

09/09 – St Louis, MO @ Loufest

09/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ Life Is Beautiful Festival

09/30 – Mobile, AL @ Ten Sixty Five Street Party

10/07 – San bernardino, CA @ CAL JAM 17

10/18 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Corona Capital

* = Live & Unpeeled show