Review
Buckle up, folks, because Imagine Dragons' sixth studio album, "Loom," is here to slap you in the face with a fistful of feels and experimental sounds. Dropping on June 28, 2024, this baby is the band's inaugural trio gig since drummer Daniel Platzman hit the pause button indefinitely in March 2023. Picture this: the cover art, a mind-bending sunset or sunrise—who knows?—with two figures looking like they're stuck between a breakup and a makeup, which hilariously sums up the album's whole vibe.
Spanning nine tracks of juiced-up anthems and new-fangled sonics, "Loom" is winning the critics over, albeit with a cautious head-nod, clocking in a Metacritic score of 67/100. Music scribes have been mostly generous, with Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic calling it "one of their most satisfying and immediate sets to date," while Jon Dolan of *Rolling Stone* notes the album's dive into the band's own musical and personal identity crisis. Although it didn't skyrocket the charts—hello, debuting at number 22 on the US *Billboard* 200—this album is no slouch. Singles like "Eyes Closed" and the pep-rally rager "Wake Up" keep you guessing but feeling oddly at home. With long-time partner-in-crime producers Mattman & Robin steering the ship, Imagine Dragons proves they can still bang out anthems while playing mad scientists with their sound. - Dave
