You might think the mixture on this latter song does not sound like a good idea, and you would be right, but this track does have some great harmonies on the bridge, and overall is pleasant enough. These include the acoustic romantic ballad “West Coast”, in which Reynolds lists things he is willing to be for his significant other, such as her “west coast”, or her “strong man”, and “Only”, with 80s-inspired verses and a Chainsmokers-esque chorus. There’s also a few other songs that, like “Boomerang”, I feel relatively indifferent towards. In fact, this album does contain its fair share of songs that I enjoy quite a bit, such as the following song “Machine”, which does indulge in pretend rebelliousness, but in a way that’s gleeful and thrilling, the float-y, relaxed, mournful “Stuck”, and even the re-purposed Wreck-It-Ralph 2 theme song “Zero”. It’s admittedly better than the previous song, but by the time the repetitive outro hammers the lackluster chorus with the subtlety of, well, a boomerang knocking me in the back of the head, it’s hard not to wish I was listening to something else.
The album doesn’t get much better from here, heading directly into “Boomerang”, a vaguely tribal-sounding ballad about Reynold’s unstable relationship with his wife, comparing her coming and going out of his life to that of a boomerang.
Dan Reynolds’ vocal delivery is admittedly intense and passionate, but we’ve heard this exact same performance from him countless times already, and with a much nicer setting. Lines like “Leave behind your heart and cast away/ Just another product of today/Rather be the hunter than the prey” come off as devoid of any substance, insight, or heart, and the melodies that carry these lyrics lack the catchiness or fun to make up for this. This song sounds like the tracks it’s aiming to replicate, but comes off as extremely forced. While the bare drum line and guitar outline of “Believer” or bass and vocal sample atmosphere of “Thunder” may not have been my cup of tea, both these songs are a lot more tolerable than tracks like the overly dramatic opener “Natural”, which feels like a very blatant attempt at recreating some of their more energetic and dark material. This direction angered some of the more guitar-craving members of their fan base, and, for reasons that may or may not be related to this, the band swiftly returned one year later with a more heavy, maximalist outing. Origins came out one year after Imagine Dragons’ third studio outing, Evolve, which took a more minimalistic, pop-centered, and lyrically carefree approach than some of their earlier work. Whether you know and love the readily accessible singalong chorus of “Radioactive” or hearing the opening drum loop of “Believer” makes you want to punch a wall, you’ve heard their music.Ĭhances are though, that, as many people do, you tend more towards the latter, and despite considering myself a fan for quite some time, rather than defending their earlier material, I have decided to cover a project I can agree on with most critics, and the one that broke the deal for me: 2018’s Origins. Imagine Dragons’ pop-rock stadium anthems have been a defining part of the zeitgeist ever since the release of their debut full-length album Night Visions in 2012.