Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee and Daniel Platzman have been playing together as Imagine Dragons since 2009. It's been three years since they last released new music, but their fifth studio album, Mercury- Act 1, is finally here.
Their debut album Night Visions was released in 2012 and singles “It’s Time”, “Radioactive” and “Demons” are still some of their most well known songs. The album made it to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and scored the 2014 Grammy for Best Rock Performance for “Radioactive”. Since then, the group has released albums Smoke + Mirrors (2015), Evolve (2017) and its sister album Origins (2018).
Throughout each album’s era, there has been an element of pop rock conjoined with their genre-less freedom they have maintained over the years. There is also a feeling of melancholy specific to the band that stems from the darker inspirations behind some of their songs. The subject of mental health appears in several songs and aims to help their listening audience feel understood through their songs; there is something uniquely powerful about that. All of the band members have been vocal about their own struggles with mental health, and fans have frequently thanked frontman Dan Reynolds for his persistence in sharing his journey in hopes of opening up a conversation within our society.
On Mercury- Act 1, the song “Wrecked” details Reynolds’ experience grieving the passing of his sister-in-law due to cancer. It does a wonderful job of capturing how much it can feel like an internal roller coaster. At the same time, it brings up how your own internal pain from before the grief started can feel amplified. The single “Follow You” describes the varying emotions that came with Reynolds’ separation from his wife before they were able to work through everything and get back together. “Monday” puts a positive spin on what is typically people’s least favorite day of the week and is all about loving your partner so much that they feel like your favorite day of the week. “No Time For Toxic People” delves into the feeling of knowing someone is talking about you behind your back, but taking the high road and spending your time focusing on the beauty of life rather than dwell on negativity.
Overall, I am happy to have this album in my music library. I have a special appreciation for the mix of upbeat and sad songs because of how they balance out the album. Even though some of the more upbeat lyrics have deeper, sadder meanings, they can still be great for taking a moment to dry your tears and vibe from wherever you’re listening. My rating is an eight out of 10, but let’s see what my family thinks.
Dad: Pretty good vibes. Need to listen more, but my initial score is an 8.2 out of 10.
Mom: I’ve been an Imagine Dragons fan since 5th grade Tate learned how to play “Radioactive” on her clarinet. After one quick listen, I know it will go into regular rotation. Standouts for me were “It’s Ok”, “Wrecked” and “No Time for Toxic People”. 8 out of 10.
Brother: He had to go to soccer practice so he has yet to listen to the album. I have no doubt he will eventually, though.
Tate Raub is a sophomore studying strategic communication at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Tate know by tweeting her @tatortot1310
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