While I know these two names are about as opposite of genres as possible, they are the two most paramount albums released this past week and there are more similarities between the albums than you’d think.

“Smoke + Mirrors” is the sophomore album of Vegas-born Imagine Dragons and it heavily reflects on the band’s almost instant rise to fame and their observations along the way. Sounds like almost every Drake song ever made, doesn’t it?

“If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” is Drake’s fourth studio album, and the actor-turned-rapper continues to reminisce on the would-be’s of his past and the constant struggle of balancing public life with his personal life. If you watch his short film, “Jungle,” it shows him contrasting the alternate possibility of a normal life back home in Toronto with his current celebrity lifestyle. While the short isn’t the most riveting to watch, there’s something valiant in it, don’t you think? Drake certainly has never shied away from showing his true feelings and discomfort with his life choices and this album contains the same deep tones as “Nothing Was The Same,” but with a sense of moving to the next chapter. Regardless of doubts, “IYRTITL” will still have a massive ripple effect in the rap genre and just might help push it to a new state of mind.

“Smoke + Mirrors” releases many of the same conflicted feelings, but in a way that Imagine Dragons excels: with rage. The band excels at anthem-driven and arena-ready tracks, and I’ll tell you from personal experience that they can electrify a live crowd. This album, however, seems to try a bit too hard to be inventive and sometimes that eagerness overshadows the group’s real talent. Lead singer Dan Reynolds’ deep, regretful lyrics in tracks like “Shots” and “I’m So Sorry” show the conflicted feelings of himself and possibly the band. The tracks “Gold” and “Friction” border on invasive with their sounds, but still deliver the eclectic and inventive sound that we’ve come to love from the guys. The title track as well as “I Bet My Life” gives fans what they love to see in concert with the anthems and drums. “Hopeless Opus,” “Polaroid” and “Summer” are the shining beacons in the 13-track album, but overall, the album seems to lack the driven fire that their debut “Night Visions” gave us.

Overall, the two albums were less than revolutionary but still enough to keep the two names embedded in our minds. I personally see “IYRTITL” as a transitional phase for Drake with the internal struggles inside Young Money, and “Smoke + Mirrors” as a learning experience for Imagine Dragons. Hopefully, I.D. can come back with a more driven vision for their third album and let’s hope that Drake stops “runnin’ through the 6 with his hoes” and shows us he’s a worthy contender as one of the best to do it.