Latest Release
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- 9 AUG 2024
- 1 Song
- Hot Fuss · 2003
- Hot Fuss · 2004
- Day & Age · 2008
- Bright Lights - Single · 2024
- Hot Fuss · 2004
- Sam's Town · 2006
- Sam's Town · 2006
- Wonderful Wonderful (Deluxe) · 2017
- Hot Fuss · 2004
- Wonderful Wonderful (Deluxe) · 2017
Essential Albums
- The Vegas showmen beef up their Anglophile rock with some heartland grit on their sophomore album. Opening with Sgt. Pepper–like theatrics, The Killers thunder through tales of wannabe stars and hapless nobodies with the fist-pumping triumph of Springsteen on the muscular rock anthem "When You Were Young" and the synth-laced heart-pumper "Read My Mind". Throughout, Brandon Flowers works his feverish howls over sleazy riffs ("Uncle Jonny") and a bevy of brass ("Bones"), constantly proving his own star power.
- Having won over critics with the sparkling hooks and maximalist choruses of their first two singles, "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me", The Killers set out to conquer the world with their 2004 debut album, which paired the pomp of New Romantic music with brisk synth-pop that recalled arena-level titans like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran. Those two songs were appealingly glammed-up entrants in the early-'00s "return of rock" gold-rush; "Somebody Told Me" is a tug-of-war between vocalist Brandon Flowers' insistent yelp and shooting-star synths, while "Mr. Brightside" is a broken heart rendered in Vegas-sign neon, its giddiness almost masking the tortured feelings at its core. The rest of Hot Fuss builds on the promise of those singles in thrilling ways, with Flowers serving as the intensely bemused ringmaster of a low-lit, high-drama circus. "All These Things That I've Done" updates the ersatz anthems that ruled modern-rock radio in the '80s for the new millennium, its driving beats building to a singsong bridge—"I got soul, but I'm not a soldier"—that turns twentysomething anomie into a clarion call. "Believe Me Natalie" underscores its tale of New York excess with dollar-shop horns and high-sheen synths that hint at the tawdry desperation guiding its protagonist. And "Smile Like You Mean It" dresses its regret in sequin-trimmed black, its bouncy beat adding pathos to its snapshot of lost youth. The Killers possessed the swagger of stadium-headlining heavyweights on their debut—and it immediately established them as one of the new millennium's biggest rock acts.
Albums
- 2006
- 2023
- 2022
- 2022
- 2022
Artist Playlists
- The Sin City quartet’s synth-rock revolutionises post-punk and new wave.
- Sharp outfits, shimmering scenery and flashy storytelling.
- Their charismatic New Wave influenced a generation of dance pop.
- Straight outta Vegas, a Brit-inspired shock to the system.
- The Vegas all-stars glam up, let loose and go solo.
- Brandon Flowers talks about the band’s compilation album Rebel Diamonds and 20 years of The Killers.
- 2022
Compilations
More To Hear
- Brandon Flowers talks 20 years of the band.
- Brandon Flowers discusses “Your Side of Town.”
- Brandon Flowers discusses “boy,” The Smiths, and nostalgia.
- Brandon Flowers weighs the influences and impact of The Killers.
- Brandon Flowers talks through the band's 7th album.
- Brandon and Ronnie of The Killers join to talk hot sauce and more.
- The Killers' Brandon Flowers and Bruce talk about inspiring a new generation of listeners.
About The Killers
The Killers dropped English synth-pop down into their glitzy, scuzzy Las Vegas world, and a familiar sound became brand new. The group launched in 2001, when frontman Brandon Flowers—then working in casinos—answered a advert from guitarist Dave Keuning; they wrote their breakout single, “Mr. Brightside”, at their first meeting. Rounded out by drummer Ronnie Vannucci and bassist Mark Stoermer, they rose to popularity with 2004’s glammy, post-punk Hot Fuss, its single "Somebody Told Me" a cheeky summary of a million conversations in the clubs. While initially seeming like a flashier counterpart to the dourness of The Strokes and Interpol, The Killers traded synthesisers for more guitars in the early 2000s, introducing a new sound akin to U2 and Springsteen on albums like 2006’s Sam’s Town and 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful. They do believe in love and rock, but they seem to feel a little sheepish about it as they get ready to go out. They returned in 2020 with their sixth album, Imploding the Mirage, and the Lindsey Buckingham-assisted single “Caution”. The song serves as both a return to roots and a mission statement for their future, as Flowers told Apple Music that it reminded The Killers of a universal truth: "Rock 'n' roll can be transcendent.”
- ORIGIN
- Las Vegas, NV, United States
- FORMED
- 2001
- GENRE
- Alternative