Imagine Dragons Drop Double Album, ‘Mercury—Acts 1 & 2’ as a Celebration of Life

In 2021, Imagine Dragons dropped Mercury—Act 1 implying that there would be a second act. And, thankfully, there was.

On July 1, the pop-rockers from Las Vegas dropped the next act in the Mercury collection. Mercury—Act 1 & 2 is an epic 32-track double album. Together, the sister albums pay homage to the life and loss that frontman Dan Reynolds has experienced over the past few years.

“I wrote this record during a time period when I lost my best friend since middle school, who took his own life,” Reynolds told Consequence.

“My sister-in-law passed away from cancer really abruptly within a year, leaving behind her six kids. My ex-girlfriend passed away from leukemia. It was just, horrible. Have you ever had a friend who suddenly within two years they lose so many people? It’s one of those things where sometimes it rains, and when it rains, it pours,” he continued.

At the end of the day, though, living through the loss is what Mercury—Acts 1 & 2 is all about.

“Mercury – Act 1 is focused on the immediacy of death. What does that sound like? What does that feel like? Mercury — Act 2 is focused on the process that comes after,” Reynolds said in a statement. “So it’s the coping, the waking up and life has to continue on. When you’ve lost someone you love, life continues. This album is about loss, grief, and life. I think throwing life in there is so important because there is a lot of joy to this record. It’s about being present.” 

One such joyful track is the song “Sharks.” For this tune, the band focused on making the music video as light and passionate as possible. The video is also an homage to their hometown, Las Vegas. Other notable songs include “Bones” and the song “Enemy,” which was released in the first volume of Mercury.

Check out Mercury—Acts 1 & 2 HERE and “Sharks” below.

Photo Credit: Eric Ray Davidson / The Oriel