Imagine Dragons was always a group that I could look forward to. Whenever a song of theirs pops up on the radio, I’ll automatically go to look it up on instinct. That’s how good I think they are. It’s been a while, but Imagine Dragons has a new song called “Believer.” For the most part, Imagine Dragons has put out consistently good music. This time, they gave us a song with an interesting message.

To be completely honest, this song could also be called “Pain,” because this song seems to be about the pain you have to go through to become a “believer.” Both these words are repeated during the chorus, and they both encompass the song’s meaning. Yet, they are different enough that you could just pick either one, and it will still be a good song. Talking about how other people have hurt you, and how you had no choice but to have faith in yourself because very few others would. Those people are what made you into the person you are today. But at the same time, you are also saying that you are not going to put up with any of those belittling people anymore. It is an interesting take on hardship, and how it can affect someone.

I think this is another song where the words overshadow the instrumentals, which definitely isn’t a bad thing in this case. It catches your attention at the beginning with a pounding drum, and it doesn’t let up. I would have liked a little more dynamic contrast but the static loudness fits the message too well for me to dwell on it. Also the sudden breaks in the chorus keep you on your toes.

Usually, I don’t talk about the vocals extensively, but in the case, the singing almost becomes part of the instrumentals. “Oohs” and “Ahhs” can get redundant in pop music. Yet, these vowels are present in the verses making them more interesting and draw attention to the style of the piece. Which makes up for the simplistic background. Even the strained voices in the chorus, not only drive home the feeling of struggling, they give the song a unique style of its own creation.

Even though I wish some concepts were a bit more fleshed out, I was still blown away by “Believer.” I’ll give it a 4 out of 5 stars. I hope we will hear more powerful pieces like this one in the future.