Where are all The Killers members now? 'Song Exploder' episode peeps into alt-rock group's 'When You Were Young'
With several special featured artists on the upcoming Volume 2 for the 'Song Exploder' docuseries, fans can look to some exciting new interviews and breakdowns of famous hits. But one particular episode has us feeling nostalgic.
The Killers are featured on Episode 2 of the docuseries and share the inspiration and compositional deconstruction of their 2006 hit 'When You Were Young'. Described as a "turn-around" track by the alt-rock band on the docuseries, The Killers break down the song, layer-by-layer and give an intimate insight into the personal inspiration behind the music and lyrics. Although the episode feels insightful and rich in information for hardcore fans of the band, a sense of melancholy also begins to creep in for anyone who's been wondering where The Killers have gone.
Growing up when indie rock and alternative rock began to blend and blow-up significantly during the early 2000s, it was expected if you asked someone who their favorite indie band was that their answer would be The Killers. From their 2004 debut studio album 'Hot Fuss' to 2006's 'Sam's Town' (which features 'When You Were Young') to 'Day & Age' (2008), The Killers had solidified themselves as champions of adventurous and infectious rock and roll. 'Hot Fuss' took on the sounds of new wave and post-punk, and spawned four commercially and critically successful singles: 'Mr. Brightside', 'Somebody Told Me', 'All These Things That I've Done' and 'Smile Like You Mean It'. The album took the number-seven slot on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.
Move onto their sophomore iteration and 'Sam's Town' debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and their third album 'Day & Age' at No. 3. Albums that followed also saw notable success - 'Wonderful Wonderful' debuted at No. 1 on the same chart - but as bands get older, there's more pressure to raise the bar on every record as opposed to just riding the wave of success from an explosive debut.
We can discuss the success of The Killers and their career at length, and we also can't be sure whether fewer reports are to blame, but there is a sense of silence that seems to have come over the band. This may be due to lead guitarist Dave Keuning starting a hiatus from the band.
Dave Keuning
In August 2020, three years after their LP 'Wonderful Wonderful', The Killers dropped 'Imploding the Mirage'. It is the band's first album without Keuning, who has not toured or recorded with The Killers since he took an indefinite hiatus from the band in 2017. In a May 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, lead singer Brandon Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. stated that while Keuning is on hiatus from the band they had difficulties in working on the new album without him, and he is still welcome to return to The Killers. Keuning has released one solo project since his hiatus: the album 'Prismism' released last year.
The continuous looming Covid threat
Like many musical acts, The Killers had to were planning on a tour in 2020 but had to postpone due to the coronavirus. The band was due to head out on the road for a UK and Ireland stadium tour in support of ‘Imploding The Mirage’ in May. After confirming that the dates would be postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, The Killers shared the new rescheduled dates for May and June of 2021. The group did, however, perform virtually since then. The Killers performed a stripped-back rendition of their song 'Caution' on an episode of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'. In September, they performed for Pandora LIVE, which marked the second event since the popular concert series transitioned to virtual.
Future plans
According to NME, The Killers have confirmed that they've also been working on another new album, and are planning to release it in spring 2021. Flowers revealed how the “creative spirit” of ‘Imploding The Mirage‘ led to an outburst of even more songs. “You know when people just say that? Every time someone makes a record they say that they have 50 songs and they’re going to release another record. We really are,” Flowers said, adding, “We’re going to release another one in about 10 months. We’ve already gone back into the studio with [Jonathon, producer] Rado and Shawn [Everett, producer]. We did a week in Northern California."
In more recent events, The Killers have sold their pre-2020 music publishing catalog to Eldridge, a holding company with a network of businesses across entertainment, finance, technology, and real estate. The deal marks the first music catalog transaction for Eldridge, which has reportedly acquired the publishers and the writers’ share of the catalog, covering the band’s first five albums. The band will continue to own their share of master recording income, including from syncs secured by Eldridge and the band while Universal Music Publishing Group will continue to administer the band’s catalog, according to Billboard.