Night Visions received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with some praising its first half as "arena rock-esque". The album debuted at number two on the Billboard200 in the United States, selling more than 83,000 copies within its first week. It also peaked at the summit of the Billboard Alternative Albums and Rock Albums charts, as well as in the top ten albums in Austria, Canada, Germany, and Norway.[3] The band promoted the album by touring the United States alongside AWOLNATION in fall 2012, as well as touring Europe in November.
"Amsterdam" was exclusively released as a free download via iTunes. The single was released as iTunes' "Single of the Week" on the week of the album's release in countries with respective release dates of the album. The single was first released in North America on the American September 4, 2012 release date,[7] and again in European countries on the European February 7, 2013 release date of the album.[8] It is unknown whether "Amsterdam" will be released in the United Kingdom on the British April 1, 2013 release date of Night Visions.
"Hear Me" was released as the second single from Night Visions on November 24, 2012. The following day, the song was released as a 4-track EP, featuring the previous two singles, "Radioactive" and "Amsterdam", as well as "The River", which was a bonus track on the Best Buy edition of Night Visions.[9] "Hear Me" and "Radioactive" are both UK Top 40 singles.
"Radioactive" was originally released as a radio-only single from Continued Silence, and later, Night Visions in April and October 2012 respectively. The song was released as the third single from Night Visions in the United States on February 6, 2013. The band performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show with David Letterman. It has since reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the number 1 on the Alternative Songs chart and number 27 on the Canadian Hot 100,[10][11] as well as peaking within the charts of Denmark (#6), Norway (#2), Sweden (#1) and UK (Top 40).[12][13][14]
"Demons" was released to American Triple A radio on January 28, 2013 as a radio-only single from Night Visions[15]
Night Visions received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Gregory Heaney from Allmusic said that "even though Imagine Dragons might have skipped a few steps along the way to their arena sound, Night Visions is still an album that, at least for a few minutes at a time, will make everyday life seem just a little bit bigger".[16] Brian Mansfield from USA Today also gave the album a positive review, saying "For all the group's musical mastery, it's the flourishes courtesy of producer Alex Da Kid that make individual tracks stand out: the mandolin hook of It's Time, the jaunty whistle of On Top of the World, the burbling guitar in Demons. Those creative touches may seem like small details, but it's that imagination that gives these Dragons teeth."[20] Dara Hickey of UnrealityShout praised the album's sound and themes, saying that "Even though they sing into the unpredictable, shifting abysses that move around our everyday lives, the opulence of their music still glows with the expanse and comfort of four musicians who will always be there to provide that helping hand".[21]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number two on the Billboard200 in the United States, selling more than 83,000 copies within its first week. It also peaked at the summit of the Billboard Alternative Albums chart and Rock Albums chart, as well as number ten in Canada.[22] The album was certified gold by the RIAA in January 2013. It has also been certified gold in Canada, Norway, and Sweden. It debuted at #2 on iTunes in Germany.
