The Killers Completely Scrapped Their New Album, Brandon Flowers Says

It’s been two years since The Killers released their critically acclaimed eighth album, Pressure Machine. The group had been working on a new album, but frontman Brandon Flowers now says they completely scrapped the entire project. Speaking to The Times, the singer confessed, “Halfway through recording I realized, ‘I can’t do this.’”

“This isn’t the kind of record…” he said, then pausing and adding, “I think this will be the… I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music anymore.” Noting how the band’s brand of modern new-wave pop carried them to headlining stadiums and concert festivals, Flowers admitted that he’s begun to struggle with how the band’s music intertwines with his personal identity. “This is the crisis I’m in,” he said. “The Killers are my identity and our songs fill the seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music like Pressure Machine. Notably, Pressure Machine was a departure for The Killers. The songs are more acoustic-based tunes and lyrically Flowers spent time crafting songs around stories from his youth in Utah.

“I found a side of myself writing it that was strong. This was the guy I’d been looking for!” he exclaimed, then going on to refer back to the band’s 2004 debut album. “I’m as proud of Hot Fuss as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.” The Killers are one of the rare artists to have a song reach over 1 billion streams on Spotify, with “Mr. Brightside,” from Hot Fuss sitting at over 1,800,000,000 and quickly approaching 2 billion.

Never one to lack self-awareness, that means maybe being a little too hard on himself, Flowers also opened up songs or lyrics he feels were subpar, in retrospect. He explained that he wants to be more intentional about making music and performing concerts at this point in his life. “I’m a different person now, it’ll be difficult to go back,” he says, noting that he’d love to make softer music and perform in smaller venues. 

“It is a conflict,” he added. “It is just, well, at what point do I make that change? Who in the band wants to do that too? No matter what, there will always be people who look at me and just think of ‘Somebody Told Me.’ And I get that. But I’m interested in evolving.” Check out the YouTube link above to hear the band’s most recent single “Your Side of Town.”