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Mercury – Act 1

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Mercury – Act 1
Studio album by
Imagine Dragons
ReleasedSeptember 3, 2021 (2021-09-03)
Recorded2018 – 2021[1]
Studio
  • Ragged Insomnia Studio (Las Vegas)
  • Shangri-La (Malibu)
  • Platzcaster West (Las Vegas)
  • Wolf Cousins (Stockholm)
  • Golden Age (Los Angeles)
  • The Clubhouse (New Zealand)
  • Noise Coalition (Costa Mesa)
  • The Bibcage (Los Angeles)
  • The Base (South Melbourne)
Length42:04
Label
Producer
Imagine Dragons chronology
Origins
(2018) 		Mercury – Act 1
(2021)
Singles from Mercury – Act 1
  1. "Follow You"
    Released: March 12, 2021
  2. "Wrecked"
    Released: July 2, 2021
  3. "Cutthroat"
    Released: September 3, 2021[2]

Mercury – Act 1 is the fifth studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, released on September 3, 2021 by Kidinakorner and Interscope Records.

Background

Following the conclusion of their Evolve World Tour in 2018, Imagine Dragons' fourth studio album Origins was released that November. Unlike their previous albums, the band did not tour in promotion of Origins, instead opting to take time off to decompress and spend time with family.

The album was announced on June 30, 2021, revealing the cover art and release date.[3]

Concept

Frontman Dan Reynolds described the album as split into two sides: one organic and looking inward, the other more aggressive and looking outward. The album touches on themes of loss, loneliness, and grief, while celebrating life:[4]

«I have watched my friends die to drug addiction. [...] The point of art is to share our darkest moments as well as the light ones. I believe that by singing about my own struggle with it, it hopefully will bring someone else some sort of peace or resolve. This record deals with a lot of searching and loneliness, struggling with the finite state of reality. However, I really wanted it to end on a celebratory note. Setting the foundation for a more steady and stable future. I wanted to end the record by focusing on all the things that make me happy. The simple things that keep me going every day. Looking to the future. Pointing out to myself all the beauty that surrounds me.»

The album’s name is derived from the word “mercurial”, drawing on Reynolds’ mental health struggles and the band’s lack of specific genre classification.[5] The band enlisted Rick Rubin as the album’s executive producer, whom Reynolds credited with pushing him to be less metaphorical lyrically and embrace the more “uncomfortable” aspects of songs:[4]

«Rick reminded me that over the last decade my fans have grown up with me. They not only want to grow with me, but they expected it. He told me to never worry about pushing them in uncomfortable ways. And that I really would be doing them a disservice if I ever tried to re-create the past or sugarcoat the present. I owe them vulnerability and honesty only.»

Release

The album was preceded by three singles. The two lead singles "Follow You" and "Cutthroat" were released on March 12, 2021.[6][7] The third single "Wrecked", which was inspired by the death of Reynolds' sister-in-law,[8] was released on July 2, 2021.[7] The album was released on September 3, 2021.[7] Monday became the fourth single on the day of the album's release.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Evening Standard[10]
NME[11]
Pitchfork4.4/10[12]
Riff Magazine7/10[13]
The Young Folks[14]

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic stated "While the overall tone and narrative could use a little polishing, Mercury: Act 1 is a huge step forward in their maturation process."[9] David Smyth of Evening Standard called the album "more irritating than inspiring" and stated "There are a few songs you might like here, but a few you’ll violently hate."[10] El Hunt of NME called the album "a scattershot record that lacks cohesion and originality."[11]

Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork stated "despite the ostensibly humanizing presence of Rick Rubin, rock’s patron saint of prestige, these quintessentially Vegas showmen still sound like they’re firing their emotions out of a T-shirt cannon."[12] Ian Krietzberg of The Young Folks remarked "Mercury Act-1 is a real work of art. It is powerful and poignant, explosive and intense and dramatic; a true and important story tied into a simple collection of music."[14]

Track listing

Mercury – Act 1 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."My Life"
3:44
2."Lonely"
  • McKee
  • Platzman
  • Reynolds
  • Sermon
  • Fredriksson
  • Larsson
  • Tranter
Mattman & Robin2:39
3."Wrecked"
  • McKee
  • Platzman
  • Reynolds
  • Sermon
4:04
4."Monday"
  • Imagine Dragons
  • Goldwiing
3:07
5."#1"
3:25
6."Easy Come Easy Go"
  • McKee
  • Platzman
  • Reynolds
  • Sermon
  • Jayson DeZuzio
DeZuzio2:59
7."Giants"
  • McKee
  • Platzman
  • Reynolds
  • Sermon
  • Tolman
Goldwiing3:30
8."It's Ok"
  • McKee
  • Platzman
  • Reynolds
  • Sermon
  • Tolman
  • Imagine Dragons
  • Goldwiing
3:22
9."Dull Knives"
Imagine Dragons3:33
10."Follow You"
  • Little
2:55
11."Cutthroat"
  • McKee
  • Platzman
  • Reynolds
  • Sermon
2:49
12."No Time for Toxic People"
Suwito3:27
13."One Day"
  • Shatkin
  • Wiggins
2:31
Total length:42:04
Japanese bonus track[15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Follow You" (Summer '21 version)
  • McKee
  • Platzman
  • Reynolds
  • Sermon
  • Duhé
  • Hall
  • Little
Darner2:52
Total length:44:56

Personnel

Imagine Dragons

  • Dan Reynolds – vocals, production, composition, programming
  • Wayne Sermon – guitar, piano, synthesizer, production, composition, mixing, programming
  • Ben McKee – bass, production, composition
  • Daniel Platzman – drums, production, composition

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Mercury – Act 1
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 6
French Albums (SNEP)[20] 4
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 5
Irish Albums (OCC)[22] 26
Italian Albums (FIMI)[23] 8
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[24] 70
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[25] 116
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[26] 18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[27] 11
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[28] 9
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 17
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 7

Release history

Release dates and formats for Mercury – Act 1
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various September 3, 2021
Standard
[32][33]
Japan CD Japan bonus Universal Music Japan [15]
Brazil October 15, 2021 Standard Universal Music Brasil [34]

References

  1. ^ Imagine Dragons [@Imaginedragons] (September 3, 2021). "We spent the last three years working on this record" (Tweet). Retrieved September 3, 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b "A special message from @imaginedragons about new album and single "Monday"". September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021 – via Instagram.
  3. ^ Imagine Dragons [@Imaginedragons] (June 30, 2021). "Mercury - Act 1 September 3 PRE-ORDER" (Tweet). Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b News, A. B. C. "Imagine Dragons dive into the darkness with brave new album". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-09-04. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa. "Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds dissects five 'vulnerable' songs on new album 'Mercury - Act 1'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  6. ^ Rosenbaum, Marty. "Imagine Dragons will be dropping two brand new songs this Friday". Radio.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Schube, Will (June 30, 2021). "Imagine Dragons Announce Highly Anticipated New Album, 'Mercury: Act I'". U Discover Music. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Kreps, Daniel (July 15, 2021). "Imagine Dragons Ruminate on Grief in New Video for 'Wrecked'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Neil Z. Yeung. "Mercury: Act 1 - Imagine Dragons | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Smyth, David (September 3, 2021). "Imagine Dragons - Mercury: Act 1 review: More irritating than inspiring". Evening Standard. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Hunt, El (September 3, 2021). "Imagine Dragons – 'Mercury – Act 1' album review: weightier subject matter and messy genre-hops". NME. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Rytlewski, Evan (September 7, 2021). "Imagine Dragons Mercury – Act 1". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  13. ^ DeWald, Mike (September 2, 2021). "Review: Imagine Dragons positively unpredictable on 'Mercury – Act 1'". Riff Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Ian Krietzberg. "Mercury: Act 1 - Imagine Dragons | Songs, Reviews, Credits | The Young Folks". The Young Folks. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "マーキュリー - アクト1[CD] - イマジン・ドラゴンズ - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  20. ^ "En exclusivité, voici les 10 premiers du Top Albums de la semaine !". SNEP on Twitter. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  22. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  23. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  24. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums 2021/09/13". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  25. ^ "マーキュリー-アクト1 イマジン・ドラゴンズ". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  26. ^ "2021 36-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  27. ^ "Charts.nz – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  28. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  30. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Imagine Dragons – Mercury - Act 1". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  31. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  32. ^ "Mercury - Act 1 by Imagine Dragons on Apple Music". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  33. ^ Physical releases for Mercury – Act 1:
  34. ^ "CD IMAGINE DRAGONS - MERCURY: ACT I". Umusic Store (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
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