Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds Wrote New Album After His World Was 'Turned Upside Down': 'I Was Refinding Myself' (Exclusive)

Dan Reynolds was in uncharted territory as he navigated a new city and a divorce

• Imagine Dragons' new album Loom is out June 28

• Frontman Dan Reynolds opens up to PEOPLE about the "very transitionary time" that inspired the new album

• "My world had been turned upside down," Reynolds says. "I was refinding myself"

There are several reasons why Imagine Dragons named their latest album Loom. For starters, frontman Dan Reynolds dug the “ominous” sound of the title. Then there’s the nostalgia factor of Loom also being the name of one of his favorite childhood video games.

But most importantly, Reynolds, 36, knows that the word represents the fact that life hurtles on, whether we like it or not—something he learned amid a difficult stretch while writing the record.

“My world had been turned upside down. I had just moved to a brand-new city. I was refinding myself. It was a very transitionary time for me,” Reynolds tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “I really don’t like change, but the sooner you can accept the inevitability of change, the more peaceful life becomes.”

Just like the Dragons’ other works — including their seven-times platinum 2012 debut album Night Visions — Reynolds says the band’s latest effort is essentially his “journal entries” from the past few years.

Related: Dan Reynolds Reveals Why Imagine Dragons May 'Never' Perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show

During that time, he moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles — and ended his marriage to singer Aja Volkman, whom he wed in 2011 and with whom he shares daughters Arrow, 11, Gia and Coco, 7, and son Valentine, 4 (Reynolds has since found love again with actress Minka Kelly).

Several songs on the album, including “Don’t Forget Me” and “Fire in These Hills,” appear to hint at the difficult split, which is par for the course with Reynolds, as he has been using music as a “cathartic” outlet for his feelings since he was 12 years old.

“That’s the way I process life, is through music. Whether it was Mormonism or heartbreak or joy or sadness, music has always been my go-to to see how I’m feeling and express it,” he says, referring to the religion in which he was raised, but walked away from several years ago.

Related: Dan Reynolds Wants to 'Celebrate Love' Through LOVELOUD — and He's Teaching His Kids to Do the Same (Exclusive)

Growing up, the star watched his six older brothers play in garage bands, which in turn inspired him to use computer programs to make music of his own. Singing came later; as a kid, his brothers called him Cookie Monster due to his voice’s raspy tone, which led him to doubt his talents as a singer. But before long, he quietly began recording himself. The first song he ever wrote was called “All By Himself.”

“I didn’t show it to anybody, but it felt so good to express something that I couldn’t quite express [in conversation],” he says of his early struggles with mental health.

By the time he cofounded Imagine Dragons in 2008 while at Brigham Young University, he had over 1,000 songs in his repertoire. The Dragons’ lineup currently includes Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon and bassist Ben McKee, whom he calls his “best friends.”

“I find so much fulfillment through the Dragons,” Reynolds says. “We have been through so much together as a trio that I think we have deep, mutual respect for each other. It’s like family, but also professional. We’ve been to therapy together as a band.”

As Reynolds prepares for the release of Imagine Dragons’ new album — and the July 30 kickoff of the band’s largest North American headlining tour to date — he feels he’s finally found his groove, in life and onstage. And if things must change, he’s ready to navigate whatever ebbs and flows are yet to come.

“I take this job really seriously. I know there’s a million people gunning and wanting to do exactly what I’m doing, so I feel very fortunate, and I try to do it to the best of my ability,” he says. “The album is really [about the] present, but it’s also looking into the past and the future, being a little fearful of what’s to come but excited — [it’s about] new beginnings.”

For more on Dan Reynolds, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

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