The Killers Implode Their Old Sound

For the past twenty years, The Killers have been at the top of the rock charts across the world. When their career first started, they were a rock band like Blink-182, Green Day, and All American Authors. The Killers’ career has been very successful with their six released albums. Most of their albums are produced by Shawn Everett and Jonathon Rado. Every single one of them has been a chart topper, but it seems like they are losing their mojo.

The Killers originated from Nevada in the early 2000s. From the beginning, it was clear that they were going to make big names for themselves. They succeeded in many ways including being the number one artist to ever emerge from Nevada. They have sold over 28 million copies worldwide, an astronomical feat. They have performed in over 50 countries and have headlined at places such as Madison Square Garden, Wembley Stadium and Glastonbury Festival. They have also had multiple music icons play in some of their songs like Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac and Adam Granduciel from The War on Drugs.

“Imploding The Mirage” is their latest release, and, to be honest, I think it could have been better. I have been following The Killers for quite a while, and I knew they were coming out with a new album, but I listened to their single “Caution” beforehand and was not very keen on what they were about to release. The record as a whole sounds like a rock album straight out of the 80s. The instrumentals seem easy and are the type that would appeal to everyone. It is a record full of sappy love songs. 

There are songs on the album that I did quite enjoy though. “My Own Soul’s Warning” was one of them. It is about trying to trust your instincts but conflicting with yourself over it. When reading the lyrics, I could tell that the person writing them had major trust issues, which is a recurring theme throughout the album. Though the meaning behind the song is dealing with your conflicting self, by the end of the song, the protagonist realizes that he needs to trust himself. The last words are “I just wanted to get back to you,” which shows that he is starting to recognize his mistakes and get past them.

The other song I thought was really good is the last song on the album, “Imploding The Mirage.” This song is about believing in yourself. Writer Brandon Flowers talks about how another person is not able to live with their mistakes, thus making them very doubtful towards themselves. He wrote, “I threw caution ’cause something about that yin and the yang was pushing my boundaries out beyond my imagining.” He tries to push the narrative that you have to be able to push yourself out of your comfort zone in order to succeed.

This album is very different from what they have released in the past. Previously they have been a rock/punk band that always had heavy drums and guitar. This album brings in a more soft approach. I relate this new “The Killers” vibe with bands like Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol and The War on Drugs. The lyrical style has somewhat stayed the same though. They like to stick with very sappy love songs, but instead of the “emo” vibe they have given off in the past, it is more of a lighthearted one. 

Even though this album is not what I expected it to be, it was still decent. It was not their best work but also not their worst. I know that it could have been better, maybe if the instrumentals were not so suffocating all the time. In my opinion, this album made me realize that The Killers are used up and just releasing because they don’t want to quit. They are not very big anymore, and I believe this might be their last album. Some reviews I have read have stated that the lyrics make up for the loud and overbearing instrumental. If they resort back to their original sound in their next album, their success would continue to grow. Overall, I give this album a 5 out of 10.