Imagine Dragons – ‘Origins’

Starting here with a minor fan-girl moment: I love Imagine Dragons. I love their music, I love what they stand for, their stage presence, their performances, and their ability to keep coming back with more content that tops the charts. This band hasn’t stopped yet. From albums, tours, to running amazing festivals that raise millions of dollars for charity. They’re a wickedly talented group that doesn’t stop moving forward.

Their last album Evolve caught my attention after having heard “Whatever it Takes” on the radio (thanks Radio 104.5) and I was hooked. After I had the opportunity to catch them live through the same radio station, I knew I was hooked. Not too far after that, the first single from Origins dropped and now here we are.

The first two released singles set the tone for the album. “Natural” seems to say that everything will work out, when everything seems to be falling apart. You’ll make it through because “You’re a natural.” To be entirely honest, I’ve been clinging to this song since it came out, as things in my life recently started to go sour. If I just keep working hard, I’ll make it work somehow.

The other single “Zero” is actually a song in the Disney movie Ralph Breaks The Internet. A bit more upbeat and happier sounding, this song tells the story of a “zero” and what it’s like to battle negative thoughts and seeing the other side. Personally, “Zero” is one of my absolute favorites.

“Boomerang” has a call and repeat factor that will have the song stuck in your head and will be really fun live if the band decides to play it. An auditory boomerang if you will. I picture a person being tugged back and forth during the song. The narrative follows that of a break up and trying to keep things clean after it all. Letting go, moving on, ready to grow is all crucial. “Cool Out” seems to be the prologue to “Boomerang,” a former lover telling the narrator to calm down as a break up seems to go down. “We make each other get a bit crazy, but you will always be a part of me,” gives you a small window into what the relationship looked like, and “Cool out” seems like it could be good advice as things end.

“Bad Liar,” made me cry once I got to sit down and comprehend the lyrics. Probably one of my top three off the album, the song faces the ugly truths of anxiety, depression, insecurity and trying to hide that all. “Look me in the eyes, tell me what you see, perfect paradise tearing at the seams,” screams trying to hold yourself together and be “okay” on the outside. Speaking from experience through myself and friends, trying to mask things of that nature is hard as it is, on top of dealing with life.

I’ll be 100% honest: “Machine” makes me picture war paint, protests and political marches. I see people demanding change and claims of revolution. “Not a part of your machine, I am the machine,” as the last words of the song is a powerful call to arms for people to step out and see they’re in control. Independent and in charge. “Digital” (as I listen to it for the first time) is a STATEMENT. Starting peacefully acoustic and then dropping to this bass heavy, digital mix demanding a new world this song also stands as a rally cry. This clearly draws the us vs. them line, “We don’t want to change we just want to change everything.”

“Burn out” and “Real Life” are both bonus tracks on the deluxe version of the album and are my absolute favorites at first listen. Within “Burn Out,” adversity is hard at any level. There are things that come at you at times you’re convinced you can’t handle much else. This song is a call to the person hitting rock bottom – “It’s just another downfall, don’t let it get the best of you.” “Real Life” is a call to turn your phone off. There’s a lot going on in the world and many of the events cause a lot of stress, on top of the constant commentary of Twitter and the news, this can add a lot of unnecessary stress to a person. This song is a call to turn off your phone every once in a while and take a break.

Overall, I highly recommend this album to anyone. What I like about Imagine Dragons is everyone gets different things from their music. I encourage everyone to check out the album as it has dropped today via Interscope Records!

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