Featured photo by Ben Kaye

This spring, Cage the Elephant played a series of “Live & Unpeeled” shows to perform new, stripped-down arrangements of their songs with a string section in tow. These concerts also doubled as recording sessions for the band’s latest album, Unpeeled, out today via RCA Records. One of the songs recorded for the 21-track collection is “Punchin’ Bag”, the video for which the band is premiering today.

The track originally appeared on 2015’s Tell Me I’m Pretty. Cage the Elephant recorded their Unpeeled version at the Ryman Auditorium in their hometown of Nashville. In the video, the always dynamic frontman Matthew Shultz confidently struts and prances across the stage while singing about a woman who finally fights back against her abuser. “Heaven help ya she’s coming for you,” he warns on. “Heaven help ya the girl likes to fight/ Afraid of nothing and she carries a knife.” “The song is loosely based on Aileen Wuornos,” Shultz tells Consequence of Sound.

Speaking about the inspiration behind Unpeeled, Shultz previously explained: “Many times you’re adding sonic layers looking for something to hide behind, 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 out the “Punchin’ Bag” clip up above. Stream Unpeeled in full.

Cage the Elephant are currently on the road finishing out their festival run, including appearances at Lollapalooza, Osheaga Music & Arts Festival, and Life Is Beautiful Festival. Find their complete itinerary below.

Cage the Elephant 2017 Tour Dates:
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