Imagine Dragons, Walking the Wire | Track Review 🎵

In advance of their third studio album Evolve, Imagine Dragons releases their fourth single, “Walking the Wire.”

Imagine Dragons are known for their beastly, ferocious sound.  There’s a robust quality, coupled with a grittiness.  The grittiness isn’t malicious – Imagine Dragons are clean-cut – but there’s an assertiveness.  The fourth single from the third album (Evolve) by the band, “Walking the Wire” possesses a tamer quality compared to the three singles that precede it, but there’s still oomph.  Calling the record fundamentally different would be an overstatement, but at least on the verses, the band lets its foot off the gas pedal a bit.

Why are the Dragons more tender on the verses? Love, specifically, the adversity against love. Turbulence. Push and pull, etc. On the second half of the first verse, Dan Reynolds sings:

“Oh, the storm is raging against us now
If you’re afraid of falling, then don’t look dow
But we took the step, and we took the leap...”

The adversity of love continues throughout the second verse:

“There’s nights we had that just walk away
And there’s tears we’ll cry, but those tears will fade
It’s the price we pay when it comes to love.”

Even if things seem more restrained than usual, No worries. The chorus of “Walking the Wire” is as grandiose as the three preceding singles from Evolve.  It doesn’t take long for Reynolds to roar, something he does at the end of the verses: “And we’ll take what comes, take what comes.”  The lyric leads into that beastly chorus, where the titular lyric and sentiment is highlighted:

“We’re walking the wire, love
We’re walking the wire, love
We’re gonna be higher, up
We’re walking the wire, wire, wire.”

Lyrically, the chorus is no masterpiece – it simply is what it is.  But the energy of the production, along with Reynold’s pipes make it successful through and through.

Final Thoughts

All in all, “Walking the Wire” gives Imagine Dragons another respectable record.  It’s not quite as memorable as “Believer” or “Thunder,” but poses similar listening pleasure to “Whatever It Takes.” This record doesn’t scream ‘hit’ instantly, but there’s the potential for it to become that.  Okay, but not game changing.

Imagine Dragons • Evolve • Interscope • Release: 6.23.17

Photo Credit: Interscope