Brandon Flowers has managed to have a solid career, but one wonders just how famous he might be except for the Killers' first album. That record was brilliant, borrowing from New Wave and alt-rock, and using them in the best ways. That album wasn't in any way an example of country music.
Flowers' new solo album, though, was likely to be just that because it was known the LP would be reflective of his early youth growing up in Utah and listening to his father's Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash songs. The new album also featured a steel guitar player, so all signs pointed to something that was nothing like the Killers' best.
The first track from Flowers' new album, Thrasher, which will be released by Island Records on August 21, dropped on Friday, June 26, and is called "Plans." If the rest of the record sounds like the song, fans might not be fully ready for what Flowers has in store.
Brandon Flowers' latest single doesn't match up to his past standards
The tune has a lot of Gordon Lightfoot, but in a less folky way. Perhaps 1970s Glen Campbell might be an even more fitting comparison. Either way, "Plans" is derivative, and Flowers' vocals aren't exceptional.
The backing music hints at being more melodic than Flowers' singing, if that's what one wants to call what he is doing. The vocals appear to be more stream-of-consciousness, with the singer rarely taking a breath between lines.
His range is limited during the verses, and fans know he can do better. He strains to do so when he reaches the chorus, but his high notes appear ill-fitting based on what came before.
The production of it is a bit murky. This is especially true of the backing vocals, which seem to be stolen from the kind of records one would hear 50 years ago without being cleaned. Modern technology works when it is used the right way, after all.
What is important to note is that "Plans" and, likely, the rest of the album, are a labor of love in homage to Flowers' father. That carries with it some meaning, and an artist has a right to make music that they want.
Fans also have a right to choose to follow the artist into the darkness or not. But the artist has to make the trip worthwhile. Based on Brandon Flowers' first single from Thrasher, that isn't going to be the case with his latest album.
Brandon Flowers' Thrasher tracklist:
- "Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?"
- "One Of Us"
- "Tiger’s Blood"
- "Plans"
- "Paradise"
- "Miss America"
- "Angel"
- "The Red Ground"
- "In A Heartbeat"
- "An American Dream"
Brandon Flowers 2026 tour dates:
- 9/1 – Phoenix, AZ, The Van Buren
- 9/4 – Los Angeles, CA, The Ford
- 9/5 – Oakland, CA, Fox Theater
- 9/7 – Portland, OR, Roseland Theater
- 9/8 – Vancouver, BC, Vogue Theatre
- 9/9 – Seattle, WA, The Showbox
- 9/11 – Salt Lake City, UT, Red Butte Garden
- 9/12 – Denver, CO, Ogden Theatre
- 9/15 – St. Paul, MN, Palace Theatre
- 9/16 – Chicago, IL, Riviera Theatre
- 9/18 – Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Paramount
- 9/20 – Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
- 9/21 – Philadelphia, PA, Franklin Music Hall
- 9/23 – Boston, MA, Roadrunner
- 9/24 – Toronto, ON, History
- 10/2 – Austin, TX, Zilker Park
- 10/6 – Las Vegas, NV, Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas
- 10/14 – Bournemouth, O2 Academy
- 10/15 – London, Royal Albert Hall
- 10/17 – Bristol, Beacon
- 10/18 – Nottingham, Rock City
- 10/20 – Manchester, O2 Apollo
- 10/21 – York, Barbican
- 10/23 – Glasgow, O2 Academy
- 10/24 – Birmingham, O2 Academy
- 10/27 – Dublin, Olympia
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