The Las Vegas hailing band Imagine Dragon released their second album following the  international hit “Night Visions” on Feb. 17. “Smoke + Mirrors” features 13 songs, all of which sound strikingly similar to “Night Visions.” Many of their songs are reminiscent of bands that have influenced them such as Coldplay, U2 and The Killers. The album has a little something for every consumer, whether it be an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) track or Indie sounding track. Overall, the album is a recommendation if you like mainstream pop music but if the sound you enjoy is more of an indie and unique tone, then you won’t find it here.

The album carries a tone that flows from modern EDM music and pop tracks to a more alternative rock or Indie sound towards the end. The EDM tracks, like “I’m So Sorry” sound similar to their old songs, like “Radioactive.” The beginning of the album sounds much like a continuation of “Night Visions” then flows towards a more Coldplay or a modern Red Hot Chili Peppers feel with fast paced drums and catchy hooks and bass lines. In the middle, the band throws in the song “Trouble” that resembles an Of Monster and Men or Mumford and Sons feel. “Smoke + Mirrors” really plays to the tastes of the modern music market.

“Smoke + Mirrors” features 13 songs, the first seven of which are similar to “Night Visions” while the last six are more original for the band. But these tracks show their influences because many of them sound very similar to the songs of Coldplay, The 1975 and Mumford and Sons. That is not a bad thing, many groups are influenced by other bands and many build off other bands topics but some of the songs off the album seem like extensions of other bands.

A song that exemplifies the album is “The Fall,” the last song in the album, and it parallels many Coldplay songs. The catchy hook and chorus, dynamic parts to the song and use of many instruments and sounds to create terraced dynamics resembles the way Coldplay creates their music. But there is one song off the album that really stands out. “I’m So Sorry” isolates itself amongst the lot of mainstream pop songs. The track is very much EDM and upbeat, some may say a “pump up song.” It is really different from all the other songs off the album that really changes it up.

“The band’s [choosing of this song] will make fans of teen-pop listeners ready to get more sophisticated, as well as older ears looking to settle down,” said Carl Wilson of Billboard Magazine online.

I would recommend this album to one who enjoys pop music and isn’t looking for an Indie sounding album. I would rate it 3.5 out of 5 because of its poppy, mainstream sound, although Wilson believes otherwise.

“‘Smoke + Mirrors’ may seem too recycled and belabored to entice the unconverted,” Wilson said. This opinion may seem a little harsh to some but it is hard to enjoy the album unless the listener is a fan of the band.