Rock
Brandon Flowers says The Killers are 'chipping away' at new album as he balances music and family life
Brandon Flowers says The Killers are steadily working on their next record, meeting in Salt Lake City to write and demo new material while he juggles fatherhood and his solo release Thrasher.
Brandon Flowers says The Killers are steadily building their next album, revealing the band have been travelling to Salt Lake City to write and demo new material whenever their schedules allow.
The frontman - who releases his country‑leaning solo album Thrasher on Friday (21.08.26) - recently surprised fans by admitting he’d been questioning his long‑term future in music, but insists the group are still moving forward.
Asked by NME whether the follow‑up to 2021’s Pressure Machine is finished, he explained: “It’s not in the can, but the guys have been really great and accommodating about coming to Salt Lake to write and get demos going. We meet periodically in Salt Lake, and that’s just on account of where I’m at as a father. Ronnie’s kids are really young, Dave’s son is already an adult, I’m just at this tender time where I want to have dinner with my family where I can. They’ve been great about it, and we’re just going to keep chipping away.”
Flowers confirmed the full band is involved and that they’ve been collaborating with Ariel Rechtshaid and Shawn Rado. He joked: “The band have got some time off for good behaviour, but we meet every now and again to see if we’ve got anything left in the tank.”
As for what version of The Killers fans can expect, he said they’re keeping the live audience in mind: “There’s no specific goal, but you have to keep that in mind. Sometimes you forget until you play a song in front of 50,000 people and realise it’s not the time for that. That’s definitely in the back of our minds.”
Despite recently admitting he’s been wrestling with doubts about his future, Flowers says he can still imagine himself performing for decades to come.
Asked if he sees himself becoming a “lifer” like Sir Mick Jagger, he replied: “Maybe! It’s become such a big part of my identity that I don’t know what I would do without it. I’m spoiled rotten because I get to be at home and write songs and have those moments, I get to have moments with the band where we share these moments in the studio, I get to go on stage, and I get this other limb where I can tell my family’s stories. I am really lucky, and I don’t see that slowing down as I get older.”
In a recent interview with The Times, Flowers admitted he’s been questioning the demands of touring, saying: “I’m really going through it right now: how much longer do I want to do this, what does it mean, why am I doing it anyway?”
He revealed he gets sick “without fail” at the end of every tour, but still finds inspiration in Jagger, who continues performing at 83.
As he put it: “I think of Mick Jagger and ask myself: what keeps him getting up on that stage? I guess it’s because there are powerful moments in a concert. How could I not want to do that.”
