The Killers Put Out Trailer for Fourth Album

Releasing a follow-up to 2008’s Day & Age, The Killers put out a trailer to introduce the sounds for their upcoming release. Titled Battle Born, the album, according to Brandon Flowers, is eclectic yet heavy. Flowers explained: “I've not thrown the keyboards away. But it's definitely heavier."

The trailer, less than two minutes long, is a brief glimpse of the sonic amalgamation of past and present = that listeners should expect. The Killers, through their career, have bridged these two aspects, taking influence from the 1980s but making the synths relevant enough to sound fresh in the aughts. The Battle Born trailer essentially offers more of the same. Beginning with a setting red sun and a montage of landscapes, the trailer opens with synth strings similar to New Order’s 2005 album Waiting for the Sirens Call. The similarities, however, aren’t a coincidence. While New Order has been a clear influence on The Killers, even down to their name, Jacques Lu Cont, also known as Stuart Price, produced Sirens Call and worked on Battle Born.

The title references both the recording process and The Killer’s location of origin – Las Vegas. The five-year break between albums was another challenge for the band, who recorded Battle in increments. In a recent interview, bassist Mark Stoermer said: "We technically started last May, but we've been doing it in pieces, and it's kind of taken a while to feel it out and figure out what it means to be a band again, because we took so much time off. […] Stylistically, it's pushing in more of a rock direction than the last album. But we're also doing something we haven't done before. It'll definitely sound like us."

For those who haven’t caught the trailer, watch it here: