Linkin Park are reinvented on new Kiiara collab "Heavy"

No more record scratching, no more chugging axes, no more rapping. Chester Bennington's still belting to the rafters though, so there's that.

Synthpop upstart Kiiara adds a new, Chainsmokersy dimension to the band's first new offering since 2014's The Hunting Party. It's a bittersweet duet with fist-pumping choruses and plenty to wave lighters at - it's actually pretty great, but Linkin Park's diehard followers might find themselves surprised. "One Step Closer" it ain't.

As well as Kiiara, Linkin Park enlisted the talents of Emily Wright - the popsmith who worked on hits such as Miley Cyrus's "Party In the U.S.A.", Katy Perry's "California Gurls", and Flo Rida's "Good Feeling".

"The band, with every album, every song we're trying to challenge ourselves," says Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda to Billboard. "We like to try new things. We want to explore new territory with the sounds and the songwriting. We've always been about mixing styles."