Despite their polarising reputation, there’s no downplaying electronic-rock figurehead Imagine Dragons’ immediate rise in popularity, tracing back to 2012’s Night Visions with singles such as Radioactive and Demons catapulting them into stardom.
Under the surface….we are all struggling
Let’s address both perspectives. To the die-hards, the modulated opening lyric, “I could do this with my eyes closed,” is a grim omen for what’s to come. As frontman Dan Reynolds states, the song is about “wanting to be powerful (…) but under the surface (…) we are all struggling…” But gone are the heavy drums and operatic nature that could accentuate this, or even the folky undertones integrated in their later work. Instead it may come across as bland and too similar to everything else on mainstream pop radio.
To the die hards, the modulated opening lyric, “I could do this with my eyes closed,” is a grim omen for what’s to come
But here’s the thing. Imagine Dragons have always had a pop sound, especially for their harshest critics; with music more suitable for car commercials than anything close to ‘real’ rock.So to collab with an artist like J Balvin (who, as a side bar, does a serviceable job in the designated second-verse-reserved-for-rapper spot, but is ultimately inconsequential) doesn’t seem out of place.
that power that made songs such as Believer and Radioactive insanely magnetic
They’re also a band with notable electronic influences, and it’s definitely present here, with the dubstep sound that drones in the post-chorus. Reynolds’ vocals, particularly in the lyrics, “Lock me up in a cage/just throw away the key, don’t worry ‘bout me,” still maintains that power that made songs such as Believer and Radioactive insanely magnetic.
Honestly, excluding the rap interlude, this doesn’t deviate away from what’s already within the alternative sphere. The first verse, with the almost spoken word delivery (“I’m back from the dead, from the back of my head)” seems so reminiscent of Twenty One Pilots. Take the second verse of their single Ride for example, and you can connect the dots. It’s engaging in TwentyOne Pilots or even Shinedown’s material, and it also works well here.
This is bound to not please everyone, but neither does Imagine Dragons. For those whose preferences veer closer to pop to EDM while still maintaining some love for alternative rock, this is a song you’ll want to put on rotation from now on.
Review by Ameena Ceesay
Photo credit Eric Ray Davidson
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