Brandon Flowers has shared another new solo single, ‘Paradise’ – you can listen to it below.
The upbeat song is the second preview of the Killers frontman’s third solo album, ‘Thrasher’, which is out on August 21 via Island. He released the first track, ‘Plans’, last month.
In the first verse of the jaunty, country cut, Flowers sings: “They cut all the shifts right before the summer/ Then the bastards forced me on to swing/ I’m parking some white sedan/ While the owner tries his hand rolling dice/ It’s just another day in paradise.”
The last line appears to be a nod to Phil Collins‘ 1989 track ‘Another Day In Paradise’. Collins attempted to address the issue of homelessness on the single, but faced criticism for its depiction of people experiencing homelessness.
Writing on social media earlier this week, Flowers took an apparent dig at Collins, suggesting that ‘Paradise’ would set things straight.
“Back in October ‘89, Phil Collins took ‘Another Day In Paradise’ from the working man,” he wrote to announce the song. “This Friday the 17th, I’ll be returning it to its rightful owner.”
In 2012, NME noted that the backlash to Collins’ ‘Another Day In Paradise’ was “directed at a rich man daring to empathise with the destitute”.
Flowers’ ‘Paradise’ also includes the lines: “It’s just another day in paradise/ Another raindrop in the sea/ Count the hours to quitting time/ Trying to cross the silver line/ That always leans just beyond my dreams.”
‘Thrasher’ marks Flowers’ first full-length solo project in over a decade, following on from 2015’s ‘The Desired Effect’ and his 2010 debut ‘Flamingo’.
Recorded in Nashville, the album was made with Flowers’ longtime producers Shawn Everett and Jonathan Rado, as well as guitarist David Rawlings, pedal steel player Bruce Bouton, and 85-year-old Charlie McCoy (the harmonica player who featured on all four of Bob Dylan’s Nashville records).
The upcoming LP focuses on Flowers’ early years, spending his childhood in the small town of Nephi, Utah. He looks back on how his father would drive him around the countryside listening to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings on the record.
‘Thrasher’ is said to find the vocalist at his most personal and vulnerable, delving into a chapter of his life that he’s rarely written about before, and reminiscing about these formative years.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found my way back to my father’s music – ‘Country-Western’ (as he called it) – and discovered that the stories I carry really feel most at home in the skin of this beautiful American tradition,” Flowers explained previously.
He’ll take ‘Thrasher’ out on a UK, Ireland and North American solo tour later this year. The run of dates includes a concert at the historic Royal Albert Hall in London in October. Find any remaining tickets here (UK and Ireland) and here (North America).
During an interview with NME last year, Flowers spoke about his plans for two new solo albums, describing the first as more of a “step backwards” from ‘The Desired Effect’.
“It’s more in the ‘Flamingo’ direction,” he told us. “I made two South West records, if you want to know the truth. One is a romantic South West record, and the other is a narrative South West record which picks up where [The Killers’ latest album] ‘Pressure Machine’ left off.
“I’m thrilled about both of them, and they’ll both come out before the next Killers record – but I’m thrilled about the next Killers record.”
As for future material from the Las Vegas band, Flowers told NME it was “a little too early to say” what their next era would sound like. However, he revealed that they wouldn’t be returning to the slick, synth-y style of standalone singles ‘Boy’ and ‘Your Side Of Town’ (both produced by Stuart Price).
“We will not put it out unless it is the best,” the frontman said. “We’ve already discussed it. It’s gotta be so good or it’s not worth it.” He then confirmed that the new music would feature “all four members”, after they reunited for the 2024 song ‘Bright Lights’.
