The ebullient percussion of “It’s Ok,” the shimmery piano of “Easy Come Easy Go,” the thunderous nu-metal-adjacent “Cutthroat,” the glitchy romance of “Monday”-all of these kaleidoscopic elements work to mirror Reynolds’ understanding that some things are out of our control, and that’s all right. If Mercury - Act 1 sounds darker than its predecessor, 2018’s Origins, it’s because Imagine Dragons have never been so forthright Rubin brought it out of the band. It was everything I was told religion would give to me.” Then I heard like the bell and this incredible shaman came over and was helping me come alive again. I saw so many things in my life from a bird's-eye view. “My biggest fear in life, and I didn't know this until recently, is lack of control,” Reynolds admits, revealing that he confronted that fear in a spiritually transformative ayahuasca trip, which no doubt influenced the record. Mercury - Act 1 became a record about letting go-about moving forward (like in the haunting vocal overlays of “Wrecked,” a song written about Reynolds’ sister-in-law who died of cancer in 2019)-and about accepting what terrifies us. I've been trying to refine believing in deeper things, unexplainable things. Any story anybody told me, it was a ghost story. When the rug is pulled out on you with religion, I was left with nothing.

“One of the things that has been so inspiring to me working with Rick is I have been trying to refine spirituality and belief. “My first goal with creating art is putting out something that is honest,” Reynolds says. Rubin’s style allowed Reynolds to rectify his loss of religious faith and discover a new kind of meaning on record.

“They're wildly sophisticated in their production ability, in their playing, and in their writing, this glut of greatness,” Rubin says of the band. “I’m not that deliberate, for better or worse, when I’m writing.” After three years and some band therapy, Mercury - Act 1 arrives as ascending, eclectic, accessible arena rock, amplified by a new collaborator: legendary producer Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, System of a Down, Tom Petty, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers). “I never fully comprehend, thematically, what the record is about,” Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds tells Apple Music about their fifth full-length album.

Imagine dragons album song list