Fans of The Killers received an unexpected treat in their stockings this Christmas as the Las Vegas rockers delivered a surprise brand new song.
Alongside an image of a wrapped “K” symbol underneath a Christmas tree, the band posted on their X (formerly Twitter) feed: “Santa’s got a brand new song in his bag. Merry Christmas!” The message is accompanied by the previously unheard track.
Despite the timing of its release, there seems little else festive about the new material. Clocking in at three minutes and 47-seconds, the as-yet-unnamed track revolves around a heavier, guitar-driven hook that recalls – perhaps oddly – 80s goth legends The Sisters of Mercy, while still retaining a classic Killers synth break midway through. Click the image below to listen.
The surprise new material was met with positive reaction by fans on social media.
“Instant classic! “What a wonderful surprise! I'm crying at the perfection of this song! Merry Christmas, @thekillers! Thank you so much for this beautiful gift!” wrote one fan, while user @FeathersinDevon wrote: "Oof! We are going 80s goth now. Love it. Thank you for the thoughtful gift. Merry Xmas.”
The festive surprise caps off a successful year for the band. The new song comes hot on the heels of The Killers’ latest LP Rebel Diamonds recently topping the UK album charts.
Their second Greatest Hits compilation (following 2013’s Direct Hits), Rebel Diamonds is a chronological retrospective of The Killers’ career to date, featuring at least one track from each of their seven studio albums, as well as the previously unreleased song “Spirit”.
In addition, in October their 2003 single “Mr. Brightside” was named the most streamed song in the history of Spotify UK, with over 1.8 billion streams globally. In 2021 the same song broke UK chart records by spending 260 non-consecutive weeks in the Top 100 singles chart. It has since passed 380 weeks, the equivalent of seven full years.
The Killers' new song has provoked a positive reaction among fans
The Killers are also preparing for their Rebel Diamonds Greatest Hits tour in the summer of 2024, with 19 dates scheduled in June and July across the UK and Ireland, including four nights at the Manchester Co-op Live Arena and six nights at the London O2 Arena. Tickets can be bought here.
It’s also unlikely the surprise festive release will be a one-off: Singer Brandon Flowers has recently hinted that the band has more new material up their sleeve - and that it may take The Killers in an unexpected musical direction.
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“I’m my own harshest critic,” he said. “I’m still doing that thing I did 20 years ago where I’m looking at our 'Best Of' and then looking at Tom Petty’s 'Best Of' and seeing where I’m falling short.
“I’m not disparaging that sound – a lot of that music has shaped who I am – but as I get older I want to be authentic to who I am and how I’m feeling. I have to follow that, and I just feel like that’s leading more towards guitar music, rock n’ roll and Americana music.”
