Evolve (Imagine Dragons album) on September 13, 2016, with a picture of guitarist Wayne Sermon in the band's recording studio and continued releasing cryptic messages over the next four months. On January 24, 2017, the band tweeted "goodnight +", effectively ending the "Smoke + Mirrors" album cycle. Reynolds had noted that the album, compared to "Night Visions" and "Smoke + Mirrors", is "an evolution for Imagine Dragons". The album's sound has been described as pop rock while containing elements of R&B, hip hop and EDM. In the months leading up to the album's release, Imagine Dragons used the caption "ƎE" in multiple social media
Imagine Dragons comes out and what feels right". Drummer Daniel Platzman added that the band are critical of themselves, with "no room for external pressure". Inspired greatly by the band's travels on both their previous tours and the Night Visions Tour, the album explored world culture as a musical item and overall motif in the album. Dan Reynolds told New Orleans-based newspaper "The Times-Picayune" that there was "a lot of inspiration to be drawn from [the world tour]. You kind of realize that you're a lot smaller than you think". In addition, Reynolds stated to music magazine "Rolling Stone" that the next