The Killers Announce Character-Driven ‘Pressure Machine’ Album, 2022 Tour Dates

"Write what you know" is a common axiom among songwriters and it's an idea that singer Brandon Flowers took to heart with a character-driven new Killers album entitled Pressure Machine that is now set to arrive on Aug. 13.

The band's newly-announced seventh studio album follows closely on the heels of their 2020 release Imploding the Mirage and was born out of the pandemic-induced downtime of the past year with Flowers looking to his past for inspiration.

The album was co-produced by the band, Shawn Everett, and Jonathan Rado (of Foxygen), all of whom worked together on The Killers’ critically-acclaimed album Imploding The Mirage.

“Everything came to this grinding halt, and it was the first time in a long time for me that I was faced with silence," says Flowers. "And out of that silence this record began to bloom, full of songs that would have otherwise been too quiet and drowned out by the noise of typical Killers records.”

Having time away from the concert and album cycle, Flowers started to reflect on the idea of the small American town, with his own home base of Nephi, Utah from his youth helping to color some of the material. “Had it not been for advancements in the automotive industry, Nephi in the 90s could have been the 1950s,” says Flowers.

“We were discussing [Brandon] moving to Nephi as a kid and being stuck in the middle of nowhere,” says drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. “And during Covid-19, it started to feel like we were all in the middle of nowhere.”

Flowers adds, “I discovered this grief that I hadn’t dealt with, many memories of my time in Nephi are tender. But the ones tied to fear or great sadness were emotionally charged. I’ve got more understanding now than when we started the band, and hopefully I was able to do justice to these stories and these lives in this little town that I grew up in.” The singer discusses more about the idea for the album in this trailer for Apple Music.

Digging into his past centric to a small town in the U.S. southwest, the vocalist wrote all the lyrics for the songs before a note was even recorded for the album. Pressure Machine is told not only from his perspective but also some characters of the lives he watched in his hometown as a teenager.

Helping to put listeners in the right frame of mind, Pressure Machine's album art also features a highway shot just outside of Nephi taken by photographer Wes Johnson, with additional photos featured within the album packaging. Due Aug. 13, Pressure Machine is now available to pre-order here.

The Killers, Pressure Machine Album Artwork

And with The Killers not only having one previous album to support as the pandemic delayed touring for their last record but now also now having the follow-up ready, they'll return to the road in 2022 with two full albums to promote. Tour dates and stops are listed below with tickets going on sale this Friday (July 23) at 10AM local time via the band's website.

The Killers, Pressure Machine Album Trailer

The Killers 2022 Tour Dates

Aug. 19 - Vancouver, British Columbia @Rogers Arena
Aug. 20 - Seattle, Wash. @ Climate Pledge Arena
Aug. 21 - Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center
Aug. 23 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Chase Center
Aug. 24 - San Diego, Calif. 2 Pechanga Arena
Aug. 26 - Las Vegas, Nev. @ T-Mobile Arena
Aug. 27 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Banc of California Stadium
Aug. 30 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Vivint Arena
Aug. 31 - Denver, Colo. @ Ball Arena
Sept. 8 - Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center
Sept. 9 - Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
Sept. 10 - Fort Worth, Texas @  Dickies Arena
Sept. 13 - Miami, Fla. @ FTX Arena
Sept. 14 - Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center
Sept. 16 - Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena
Sept. 17 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
Sept. 18 - St. Louis, Mo. @ Chaifetz Arena
Sept. 20 - St. Paul, Minn. @ Xcel Energy Center
Sept. 21 - Chicago, Ill. @ United Center
Sept. 23 - Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 24 - Montreal, Quebec @ Bell Centre
Sept. 25 - Verona, N.Y. @ Turning Stone Event Center
Sept. 29 - Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena
Sept. 30 - New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Oct. 1 - New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Oct. 3 - Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden
Oct. 4 - University Park, Pa. @ Bryce Jordan Center
Oct. 6 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @Petersen Events Center
Oct. 7 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Wolstein Center
Oct. 8 - Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena