#AsToldByGinger

The fifth studio album of alternative rock band The Killers’ made it’s debut on September 22. “Wonderful Wonderful” reached the top of both the United States Billboard 100 and the UK Albums chart, and has been well received by both critics and fans alike.

The Killers have made a name for themselves in the music world for finding the perfect intersection between uptempo bops and cathartic, emotional ballads, most of their songs being an affecting mixture of both.

The album acts as a slight departure from their usual style. The album features very dissonant vocals and instrumentals throughout, with some songs held together with a steady dance beat pumping beneath the surface of the song, creating a contrast between dismal lyrics and an upbeat sound.

By just listening to the lyrics of this album, one can tell that this is an extremely personal record, even more so than The Killers’ previous work. The song “Rut”  describes a person enduring a difficult period in his life, asking his loved ones not to become discouraged with him. Most listeners can relate to this at varying degrees, making the song not only incredibly personal to the songwriter, but also universally relatable.

The final track on the album, “Have all the Songs Been Written,” confronts the narrator’s feelings of disconnect not only towards someone in his life, but also to his art. Crooning “I will make you happy again… I just need one more to get through to you,” Flowers describes both the impact that a song can have on a listener, but the importance of his personal self-expression through music.

While their second most recent album “Battle Born” seemed to have an undercurrent of Springsteen’s “Born to Run” escapism embedded into the lyrics and emotional instrumentals, “Wonderful Wonderful” has a sound similar to other bands such as M83, with whom they have collaborated with before on the song “Shot at the Night.” Though at face value many of the songs resemble upbeat electronic pop songs, a sinister energy simmers beneath the surface, waiting to erupt.

This album is certainly worth the purchase, or at the very least, a listen. It’s available for streaming on Spotify and available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon. Take the time to check it out!