But Smoke + Mirrors, the album that didn’t really impact outside Imagine Dragons’ bubble, debuted at #1 as well the real indicator of this band’s resurgence is the arrival of their first top-10 hit since 2013. And given that the vast majority of Khaled’s units derive from streaming and track sales, by at least one important metric (actual album sales) Imagine Dragons have the most popular album in America.
Those are the largest first-week numbers for a rock band since Metallica’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct last fall, just 2,000 units shy of beating DJ Khaled’s Grateful for #1. Evolve, their third album, debuts at #2 this week with 147,000 equivalent units and 109,000 in album sales. With that in mind, I am sorry to be the one telling you Imagine Dragons are back in a big way. (It’s even more impressive when you consider their initial strategy was ripping off cheerfully whiny indie-pop duo Matt And Kim.) A large factor in their world-conquering success stemmed from crossing over to pop radio, so when they returned with Smoke + Mirrors in 2015 and none of its songs made an impact outside modern rock and “alternative” stations, it seemed like Imagine Dragons’ time as full-fledged superstars might be giving way to more of a sustainable niche career and therefore those of us who find them insufferable might be able to avoid them without trying too hard.
After “Radioactive” peaked at #3, Imagine Dragons’ debut album Night Visions spawned another top-10 hit in “Demons.” Rock bands rarely land singles in the top 10 anymore, so for Imagine Dragons to chart there twice was no small feat.
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