Charismatic, talented and movie-star good looking, Brandon Flowers would be forgiven for dropping his lesser-known bandmates in pursuit of solo glory. He has, in fact, written a second solo effort– but that’s not quite how it happened. In the summer of 2013 The Killers had celebrated 10 years and four consecutive UK number one albums with a Greatest Hits show at Wembley stadium, and Brandon was keen to capitalise on the momentum and head back to the studio. ‘I was feeling really excited about the prospect of what’s next, but everyone else wanted to slow down a little and take some time out’, he tells Grazia in London. ‘So I made a solo record.’
The resulting album, The Desired Effect, is as anthemic as we’ve come to expect from The Killers frontman, but swaps the band’s trademark Americana for a poppier, more immediate sound. He says the benefit of going it alone is that, ‘It’s more personal in a way. I don’t feel as restricted or as shy. Lyrically, I didn’t have to get their opinion on anything.’ His favourite track is Between Me and You, about the pressures of being a provider to his wife and three sons, who are with him in London. For the first time, the sleeve notes include lyrics. ‘I’m pretty proud of these lyrics. I feel like I’ve evolved and got better at telling cohesive stories’, he says.
Brandon is rightfully pleased with the album, and admits to wishing it was a Killers record. Perhaps the reason is that he’s been less than complimentary about the band’s last release, 2012’s Battle Born, having previously said that it ‘wasn't good enough’ and ‘we all know it’. Today he says: ‘It’s not that I’m completely disappointed in it, but I feel like we can do better. We just need to find the right groove and we all need to be on the same page. I don’t know that we were on that record. It’s tough. It’s tough to get four people to, almost, share a brain. It doesn’t always work out.’
Despite his misgivings, Brandon insists the band will release another album, after he’s put his current solo effort to bed. Does he consider himself a workaholic? ‘I guess. Some people would say that. It feels natural to me. It keeps me happy.’
*The Desired Effect is out now *