Pressure Machine

The Killers

With a little more time for introspective reflection due to the pandemic, The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers found himself confronting memories from his formative years in Nephi, Utah, an isolated, single-industry town with a population of about 6,000. The result is Pressure Machine—11 tracks about life in this “barbed wire town with barbed wire dreams,” as Flowers sings in “Terrible Thing.” The album incorporates commentary from locals which, despite being an annoying distraction that interrupts the flow of the album, helps paint a picture of a place not unlike a typical small town in Northwestern Ontario (minus the western cowboy culture). Flowers’ lyrics weave together narratives from different perspectives, from the tragedy of the opioid epidemic to the optimism of the first crop of hay. The album definitely falls into the genre of heartland rock (think John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen). Standout tracks include the opener “West Hills,” “In Another Life,” and the title track that features Flowers’ irresistibly tender vocals.