The Killers, Pressure Machine | Album Review 💿

The Killers deliver a fantastic seventh studio album with Pressure Machine, which arrives less than a year after Imploding the Mirage.   

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ho knew 🎙 The Killers would be back sooner than later? 🎙 Brandon Flowers and company outdid themselves in 2020 with the release of 💿 Imploding the Mirage – such a great album.  Even with Imploding the Mirage still fresh on the brain, 2021 saw the release of the band’s seventh studio album, 💿 Pressure Machine. With such a quick follow-up, is Pressure Machine worth listening? Totally! This is a conceptual effort devised during COVID-19 times, was inspired by Flower’s experiences growing up/living in a small, working-class town (Nephi, Utah).  The results are fantastic!  

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“West Hills”

The Killers kick off Pressure Machine in epic fashion with ✅ 🎵 “West Hills.”  “West Hills” sets the tone, beginning with intro which features residents of the area describing their lives here.  Early on, it’s clear that “West Hills” (and Pressure Machine) depicts working class life with its pros and cons. “West Hills” contrasts previous songs by the band, something that carries on throughout the album.  That said elements of this song and album are related to the band’s 2006 album, 💿 Sam’s Town.  Brandon Flowers is at his best when he and the instrumental are powered up. 

🎵 “Quiet Town” commences with an interlude regarding ‘the train.’ “Every two or three years, the train kills somebody,” a nameless narrator asserts, later adding, “I think the train is a way to find your way out of this life if you get hit by it.” Yikes! Expectedly, Brandon Flowers runs with this, depicting some of the plight of small-town life.  Not all of it is objectionable, as this Springsteen-leaning joint characterizes the residents as “Good people who lean on Jesus, they’re quick to forgive.”

“I’m in my bedroom on the verge of a terrible thing.” Man, that is heavy – it hits hard. ✅ 🎵 “Terrible Thing,” as you’d expected, is sad.  The terrible thing the male in the song is contemplating is suicide.  Why? He’s gay but he comes from a place where that’s unaccepted, particularly given the time.  You could say, he’s knee-deep into the Pressure Machine, as “Around here, we all take up our cross and hang on His Holy name / But the cards that I was dealt will get you thrown out of the game.” Wow.  Flowers does a masterful job performing this and putting himself in the situation of this young man. 

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“Cody”

Cody, a fictional character based on Flowers’ memories of various ‘older brothers,’ is a troublemaker, or so goes the story on 🎵 “Cody.” “He’s always playing with a light,” Brandon songs, continuing, “He’s just a different kind of kid.” Indeed! Like the three songs that precede, “Cody” is intriguing from a songwriting perspective.  The chorus is one of my personal favorites from Pressure Machine.  Also, worth noting, the trumpet is a brilliant orchestration touch.  The guitar solo is sweet too!  

On 🎵 “Sleepwalker,” there’s an appreciation for the beauty of nature and experiencing various seasons.  Like many songs on Pressure Machine, it’s prefaced with an intro.  On this intro, a girl talks about hunting, which begins as a child who passes hunter safety.  From there, Flowers compels with his expressive vocals and a fine backdrop that blends rock and tinges of the new wave/80s sound The Killers have been renowned for.  Still, Pressure Machine relies less on the glitzy synths that typically characterize the band’s work.

“There was a promise in our stride / But we changed courses, headfirst into the unknown.” Sigh, the lyrics on Pressure Machine continue to shine.  ✅ 🎵 “Runaway Horses” marks another elite number. The Killers tap 🏆 Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter 🎙 Phoebe Bridgers for the assist. As always, she’s fantastic, backing Flowers’ tender lead.  On this song, Flowers highlights how difficult life can be, regardless of the path you choose or your fall into.

“Like runaway horses, it’s a long way back home again
When every step is a silver prayer in the face of a hard wind.”

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“In the Car Outside”

✅ 🎵 “In the Car Outside” begins with a colorful exchange by two men during the intro (including some profanity).  It captures the working class/rural/small town sensibility to perfection.  Also notable, “In the Car Outside” is the most ‘new wave’ song of Pressure Machine – the groove is infectious to the nth degree.  I love the bright, enthusiastic performance by Flowers – one of his best of the album.  Another selling point is the narrative, particularly the third verse.  Furthermore, the chorus marks one of the most tuneful of the album. The extended instrumental outro is ear catching. 

✅ 🎵 “In Another Life” features a foreboding music on the intro, which references the opioid crisis.  After the unsettling intro, the instrumental itself is more optimistic. Even so, the lyrics, aren’t nearly as optimistic as the major key instrumental. A man questions if he’s lived up to expectations, specifically where his family is concerned. Ultimately, he asserts, “I spent my best years laying rubber on a factory line / I wonder what I would’ve been in another life.” Thought provoking and relatable to so many folks.

“When you’re in love, you can be blinded by your own heart / You’ll bend the truth, so twisted up, you could justify sin…” True, Brandon, true.  That’s the case on 🎵 “Desperate Things” where a police officer takes ‘justice’ in his own hands, not without controversy…  On this self-described murder ballad, a police officer falls in love with a domestic abuse victim, despite being married with a little girl.  Angry at her abuser, the police officer, who “Never had much patience for guys who hit,” kills him…  The third verse, where the death scene is referenced, is eerie and unsettling musically – art exemplified.   

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“Pressure Machine”

“But the Kingdom of God, it’s a pressure machine / Every step, gotta keep it clean.” True, particularly in the context of Pressure Machine.  ✅ 🎵 “Pressure Machine” arrives as the penultimate (and title) track.  The five-minute-long record, like most of the album, examines the plight of life living in a small, conservative town that lacks much opportunity – working class.  Listening to “Pressure Machine,” as well as the album in its entirety, you feel the pressure.

Even with ample pressure, “Pressure Machine” is a well-written, sincere number that successfully serves as the soundtrack to many American towns.  Brandon Flowers impresses from a vocal perspective, channeling the right emotions to sell it.  

“Keep the debt cloud off the kids
Only sunshine on their lids
Jiminy Cricket and Power Wheels
And memories of Happy Meals.”

Closer 🎵 “The Getting By” summarizes the working-class experience.  This experience includes waking up early, working hard, and of course, belief in God.  While these are all positives, “The Getting By” also highlights he hardships: not enough money and the lack of opportunities to better oneself.  Here, the working-class character dreams for more, moving beyond “the getting by.”  “The Getting By” concludes with an outro referencing the train, which appeared on the intro for “Quiet Town.”  

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Final Thoughts 💭 

Personally, I wasn’t expected a new The Killers album in 2021.  That said, I’m thrilled Brandon Flowers and company released Pressure Machine.  This is a different album compared to previously albums, including Imploding the Mirage.  Even if it doesn’t quite ascend to the same level as that contemporary masterpiece, the band has delivered a fine conceptual album, inspired by the happenings and sights within the front man’s life.  It wouldn’t be far-fetched to characterize Pressure Machine as one of the best albums of 2021.

✅ Gems 💎: “West Hills,” “Terrible Thing,” “Runaway Horses,” “In the Car Outside,” “In Another Lie,” “Pressure Machine”

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🎙 The Killers • 💿 Pressure Machine • 🏷 Island • 🗓 8.13.21

[📷: Island]

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