A first listen to the tuneful ballad “Heavy,” featuring additional vocals from electronic-pop chanteuse Kiiara, might make you a bit unsure of what you’re hearing. Is this a Linkin Park song?
You probably know the rock band, which originally broke through during the nu-metal era of the late ’90s, for an aggressive, super-charged, scream-singing sound. But new studio album One More Light, scheduled for release May 19, takes things in a different direction, though not one unfamiliar for a group that has steadily tweaked its style through the years, incorporating elements of pop and electronica. (See new single “Invisible” for further melodic evidence.)
Linkin Park will kick off its One More Light tour in Boston in July, featuring special appearances by Snoop Dogg during its West Coast swing in the fall. This weekend in Las Vegas, the band sparks local CBS Radio’s two-day SPF festival at the Cosmopolitan, performing a sold-out concert at the Chelsea Friday before a pop-dance and R&B-oriented lineup—DNCE, Hailee Steinfeld, Jason Derulo, Niall Horan and Post Malone—takes over at the Boulevard Pool Saturday.
It’s a radio-friendly attack to be certain, and Linkin Park should be a natural fit to get things started.
Linkin Park at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan, May 19.