Brandon Flowers is back with his first solo album in over a decade – the Nashville-recorded ‘Thrasher’.
Offering a rare glimpse into his upbringing in Utah, the LP – due August 21 via EMI – serves as the follow-up to The Killers frontman’s 2015’s sophomore record, ‘The Desired Effect’, and is a collaboration with longtime producers Shawn Everett and Jonathan Rado.
The new material focuses on the musician’s early years, his childhood in the small town of Nephi, and time spent with his father, driving around the countryside listening to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.
On the personal nature of the record, Flowers says: “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found my way back to my father’s music – ‘Country-Western’ (as he called it) – and discovered that the stories I carry really feel most at home in the skin of this beautiful American tradition.
Touching upon the Americana and Western stylings seen on The Killers’ albums ‘Sam’s Town’ (2006) and ‘Pressure Machine’ (2021), lead single ‘Plans’ – out Friday (June 26) tackles themes of ill-fated dreams, while ‘One Of Us’ is a tribute to his late brother-in-law and ‘Miss America’ references the nostalgia of ‘80s shopping mall pageants.
Closing track, ‘An American Dream’, sees Flowers remember time spent with his mum as his father came to the end of his life.
“Two things can be true at the same time. The fact that I love new-wave and rock n’ roll is well documented, but life is long enough to allow for more,” he says in a new social media video.
“Walt Whitman said it best: ‘I am large, I contain multitudes’… Well, I’m larger now than I was 20 years ago, and I’ve unlocked a room that feels like it’s been waiting for me all along.
“I hope you hear the joy in the record, because we sure had a blast making it,” he adds. “This is not me running away from rock n’ roll. I don’t want to replace my old songs. I simply found room for more.”
Thrasher is out August 21 and available to pre-order from Amazon, HMV, Rough Trade, Townsend and more.
Tracklist: Brandon Flowers – ‘Thrasher’
1. Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?
2. One Of Us
3. Tiger’s Blood
4. Plans
5. Paradise
6. Miss America
7. Angel
8. The Red Ground
9. In A Heartbeat
10. An American Dream
Following the album’s release, Flowers will embark on a headline tour of the UK, Ireland and North America throughout September and October.
It includes a night at London’s Royal Albert Hall on October 15, marking his first full performance at the venue since The Killers’ 2009 shows, which were released as the live album and concert film, ‘Live From The Royal Albert Hall’.
Tickets for the UK and Ireland dates go on sale on Friday, July 3 at 10am BST and are available here. The full list of dates is below.
OCTOBER
14 – O2 Academy, Bournemouth
15 – Royal Albert Hall, London
17 – Beacon, Bristol
18 – Rock City, Nottingham
20 – O2 Apollo, Manchester
21 – Barbican, York
23 – O2 Academy, Glasgow
24 – O2 Academy, Birmingham
27 – Olympia, Dublin
