Reapers (song)


"Reapers" is a song by English rock band Muse, first released as the second promotional single off their seventh studio album Drones, and later as a 7" single, as part of Record Store Day, on 16 April 2016, the fifth and final single from the album. The song peaked at No. 75 on the French Singles Chart, No. 71 on the Swiss Hitparade singles chart, No. 37 on Billboards Hot Rock Songs, and became Muse's highest-charting single at the time on Billboards Mainstream Rock Songs at No. 2; it has since been surpassed on the latter chart by "Won't Stand Down," which reached No. 1 in May 2022.

Release

"Reapers" was released a promotional single for Drones on 29 May 2015. It was released as a Record Store Day 7" picture disc vinyl on 16 April 2016. The A-side consists of the song's album version, while the B-side consists of a live performance at the Gloria Theater in Köln, Germany. The release also includes a fold-your-own paper plane.

Music video

A lyric video for the song was uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel on 29 May 2015. A full video followed. Rolling Stone called it "brutal and chilling... fittingly blunt, depicting a man caught in the crosshairs of a drone and running for his life while a woman with red lipstick waits to pull the trigger."

Critical reception

In an album review for The Observer, Kitty Empire commented that the pacy song "exposes the overlap between the unfeeling destruction of drone warfare and the unfeeling destruction wrought by people tearing each other apart," referring to Muse frontman Matt Bellamy's break-up from fiancée Kate Hudson. She also compared Bellamy to Yngwie Malmsteen, noting that the song contains "meaty riffs."

Personnel

Personnel adapted from single liner notes.