Following up their hit debut album “Night Visions,” the alt-rock band Imagine Dragons brings the same familiar sound with their follow-up album, “Smoke + Mirrors.” Although there is no song on this album that will reach the popularity “Radioactive” had from their first album, there remains several gems that will leave melodies in the listener’s ears for days. 

My first encounter with the album was the leadoff single, “I Bet My Life.” This may be the album’s catchiest song, as it slowly builds to the chorus. Once the chorus hits, all members of Imagine Dragons join in on belting the lines and create a song fans of multiple genres can enjoy. 

The next single off of “Smoke + Mirrors” had a dubstep sound to it. “Gold,” the second song and single off the album, utilizes instrumentals I would expect from a Skrillex song to keep the listener guessing as to what is next. 

Rounding out the trio of singles off “Smoke + Mirrors” is the first track listed on the album, “Shots.” I found that “Shots” was less enjoyable than the rest of the tracks. With the first lyrics of the song being “I’m sorry for everything oh, everything I’ve done,” at least the band apologized for the 232 seconds the listener had to sit through to get to the next song. 

Perhaps the best song comes halfway through the album. “Polaroid,” although leaning a tad on the depressing side lyrically, found a way to stick out from the rest. At first listen, I believed the meaning behind the song was never exactly being good enough to get that special somebody. It wasn’t until a few more times listening that I really caught on to what the band was trying to convey. 

For those unfamiliar with the sound of Imagine Dragons, be prepared for a band that sounds like Coldplay crossed Awolnation, with a slight hint of The Killers.  Imagine Dragons did what many bands fail at: following up a great album with another of the same quality.