Evolve by Imagine Dragons
Evolve (stylized as ƎVOLVE) is the third studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, released on June 23, 2017, by Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. After the release of their previous album Smoke + Mirrors (2015) and its respective world tour, a self-imposed hiatus for 2016 and cryptic messages from the band through their social media gained anticipation for their third album; it was finally announced on May 9, 2017, along with the initiation of its pre-order. In comparison to Smoke + Mirrors and their 2012 debut Night Visions, frontman Dan Reynolds called the album an "evolution" for the band. Evolve peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, and received mixed reviews from critics; some acknowledged the band's claim of evolution, while others described it as lifeless and commercially oriented. It was promoted with the singles "Believer", "Thunder", "Whatever It Takes", and "Next to Me", as well as a world tour produced by Live Nation and supported with Grouplove and K.Flay that started in September 2017. The album was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
Longtime Imagine Dragons fans will notice a newfound brightness on the Las Vegas band’s third album. That’s because frontman Dan Reynolds wrote most of it after coming out of a serious depression that had plagued him since childhood but worsened after the band’s first major tour to support its hugely successful 2012 debut album. Where 2015 follow-up <i>Smoke + Mirrors</i> had a heavier, darker bite, 2017's <i>Evolve</i> is noticeably lighter, buoyed by more heart, soul and groove. Sonically, this is the best-selling rock band of the 2010s going full-out pop. Sure, there are a few sizzles of power-ballad guitar tossed in for good measure, but <i>Evolve</i> is Imagine Dragons proving it can still galvanise the forces by dialling down on the thundering rock theatrics—just a bit. Even the militaristic stomp of a song literally called “Thunder” is tempered by giddy, helium-pumped vocals. In a sense, Imagine Dragons’ evolution here is felt more in spirit than sound, and nothing says that more than the shuffling, gospel-tinged “Next To Me”, the band’s first big love song. The track was such a significant emotional shift, that the outfit decided to add it to the top of the album’s 2018 reissue. But it’s hardly the only glimmer of romance here. “I Don’t Know Why” takes a page from The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s smash collaborations with its starry-eyed electro-pop grooviness and Reynolds’ most sizzling confession yet: “Your love is always dangerous,” he sneers. On “I’ll Make It Up To You”, he pledges his loyalty to his partner over sparkling soulful pop; later, he reveals more of that tender side on the woozy electro-R&B reverie “Dancing In The Dark”.
