When I was 16 and a chronic poster on music Twitter, some Imagine Dragons stans — yes, you read that correctly — verbally assaulted me for making some snarky joke about how much they suck. Though it was probably past their bedtime, that day turned my casual dislike into a full-on grudge — one that I'm delighted the world has now caught up to.
What I didn't expect was to hold onto this salt for another 10 years, because this band-that-certainly-doesn't-sound-like-a-band is still going at it. If you've heard one Imagine Dragons song, you've heard them all, and the same rings true of "Eyes Closed" — which makes itself back into the news cycle today because it now contains the J Balvin booster pack.
Just like the original, the latest remix sounds like the kind of swag rock that's been pre-loaded onto the all-new Ford F-150's sound system. To his credit, Balvin's reggaetón flare makes you momentarily forget you're off-roading through the mud while a babe in cutoff jorts hands you a cigarette, or whatever. Though when the chorus has you imagining those damn dragons again, you can't help but wonder if the Colombian artist showed up at the wrong studio the day "Eyes Closed" was recorded.
I guess if Maroon 5 can collaborate with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, Imagine Dragons are within their right to pull a random feature out of left field. Though at least Maroon 5 have the benefit over them since they wrote "Makes Me Wonder." Until the Imagine Dragons fandom blows up my DMs trying to desperately prove they have their own one-off masterpiece, listen to the new and slightly improved "Eyes Closed" below.
