On The Killers' new album, Imploding the Mirage , Brandon Flowers and the rest of the band have for the first time had to do without their regular guitarist Dave Keuning, who is taking a break from the band. Writing songs without Keuning, who co-founded the band and has been a regular part of the band constellation ever since he co-wrote with lead singer Brandon Flowers, the gig hit "Mr. Brightside", as their first joint song in almost 20 years since. But Keuning stepped out of the limelight shortly after The Killers' previous album Wonderful Wonderful from 2017, even though he is still on paper a consummate member of the band.
The initial recording process on the new album was marked by the absence of the band's regular guitarist. Through what practically took the form of a kind of musical 'speed dating', The Killers tried to fill the void with other sparring partners. A process that did not produce satisfactory material in the first place.
After several months of recordings, the band decided to start over in a new city with Shawn Everett and Jonathan Rado (Foxygen) at the helm as producers. And while it also proved difficult to start from scratch again, the songs slowly began to take shape, with the help of a jumble of musical guests - including Lindsey Buckingham herself (Fleetwood Mac) as the stand-in for Dave Keuning on the single "Caution" ". In addition, names like Weyes Blood, KD Lang and Adam Granduciel (The War on Drugs) have also made their way onto the album.
For The Killers, Imploding the Mirage may have been the hardest album to make to date, but as is often the case when looking back at music history, it is often the most difficult albums that have the greatest impact when you reach out on the other hand.