Lyrically, it”s a much more introverted record for me. There are a lot of imperfections in it, which we kind of accepted about ourselves and embraced. I think “Smoke + Mirrors” is definitely a more raw record. There are some of our songs that are very synth oriented.ĪThe (new) record is very different than “Night Vision.” I think “Night Vision,” when I listen to it, sounds like Imagine Dragons five years ago, which was when we wrote that record. I see us more as an alternative act, I guess, than a rock act. QHow does it feel to be one of the few rock bands in 2015 that can compete with the big pop acts on the charts?ĪI”ve never seen us as the token rock band that is, like, “keeping rock alive!” Because in a lot of senses, we are very pop oriented. As a band, I”d rather be that than be kind of boring or just create something that just all sounds the same. I haven”t heard anything that sounds like this.” For all I knew, people would hate it - and some people do hate it. That”s why we put it first on the record, because we wanted you to turn on this record and be like, “Whoa, this is really strange. Did you have any idea that it would be such a hit?ĪI honestly can tell you that we had no idea what people would think. Q”Radioactive” turned out to be one of the biggest rock songs in recent memory. I just love to write - it”s kind of like my journal entry at the end of each night. It”s like at the end of the day, some people read their book.

That”s always been kind of a therapeutic thing for me.

Opposed to going out to a bar or something like that, I typically sit in my room and pull out my laptop and record. So when a show finishes, typically, I”m back at my hotel room. When I”m out on the road, I”m not much of a party animal.

Even before I was in a band, I would come home from school, sit down on my computer and record. QWith the busy touring schedule for “Night Vision,” how did you ever find the time to write the material for a new album?ĪFortunately for me, since I was young, my favorite hobby and pastime has always been writing. We want it to be more than just, you know, you show up to the concert, and there”s the lights and we play 10 songs and there”s the record - “All right, good night.” We are trying to create a real environment from the minute (fans) walk in. For the first time, we are actually able to really plan this production in advance.

Imagine dragons school 2015