Reynolds describes the song as an exorcism of self-loathing Well, ‘Cutthroat’ is definitely a song you could listen to whilst walking angrily to campus for a 9am lecture. Most of my generation probably associate Imagine Dragons with riding home on the school bus, listening to ‘Demons’ or ‘It’s Time’ on an iPod and romanticising teenage life through a foggy window. Not only is its message of enduring love incredibly powerful, but its musical structure and instrumentation are perfectly balanced. Importantly, the building of texture through the addition of percussive parts, backing vocals and a beat track is wonderfully constructs layers of emotion. The organ part is a genius nod to the Beach Boys and the lyrics are beautifully direct (‘I’ll follow you way down to your deepest low’ is my favourite), conveying Reynolds’ authentic declaration of love. It’s about loyalty.’ This unusual minor tonality is thus poignant: it conveys how true love is about surviving adversity and is not necessarily paradisal. Reynolds has commented that ‘The reality of it is that not all relationships work. Indeed, the song is heavily inspired by the Beach Boys, with its beautiful melody and theme of love, but rather alternatively uses a minor progression. The song evokes the inspiring and rousing character of Imagine Dragons that we all love, with its ridiculously catchy melody and awesome beat track. He received a text from his wife suggesting that they have lunch instead of finalising their divorce The couple are still happily married and have a 16-month old child. Since then, Reynolds has rebuilt his marriage and is undergoing ayahuasca treatment. Lead singer and songwriter Dan Reynolds commented that the band do not usually write love songs ‘because it just feels redundant or cringey.’ Despite this, he was inspired to write this love song when he received a text from his wife, Aja Volkman, suggesting that they have lunch instead of finalising their divorce papers. ‘Follow You’ is a buoyant, wholesome celebration of love and loyalty.
Ruben encouraged the band to abandon metaphors, be direct and ‘embrace extremes.’ His mission has definitely been accomplished: ‘Follow You’ and ‘Cutthroat’ could not be more contrasting songs and powerfully convey everything that the band has been repressing since the release of their debut single, ‘It’s Time’, in 2012. That ‘something’ is perhaps Robin Ruben, a music producer whom the band worked closely with on these singles. The songs are teasers for the band’s upcoming fifth studio album, after a brief hiatus since the release of their 2018 album, Origins.įollow You and Cutthroat could not be more contrasting songs Visuals accompanying “Enemy” feature animated versions of Imagine Dragons and J.I.D, making their way through the Arcane plot, before revealing the “Radioactive” rock band and Dreamville rapper sitting around a bar table in the League of Legends universe.If ‘the only truth is music’, as Jack Kerouac insists, then surely it makes sense to tell the truth when writing music? It seems that Imagine Dragons, the alternative rock and indie band, has demonstrated this through the writing of two new singles, ‘Follow You’ and ‘Cutthroat’. Handling the third-and-final verse, J.I.D spits aggressively, bouncing between rhyme patterns and changing speeds like only he can. Imagine Dragons provides its signature sound, and with stripped-down vocals resting on top of a skeletal instrumental, weaves a web of inspirational messages before building into a couple of huge choruses.
“Enemy,” which features Imagine Dragons and J.I.D, is an powerful record about staying strong, even when your back is against the wall.
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