The Killers burned through a stripped-back version of their recent song “Caution” on Monday’s Ellen. The quartet, whom Ellen DeGeneres introduced as “one of [her] favorite bands,” played the song remotely.
Frontman Brandon Flowers alternated between piano and synthesizer, soaring to the high register of his voice on the pre-chorus. The group backed him with a sturdy surge of bass, acoustic guitar and drums — but not the electric guitar solo from former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham, who appears on the studio version.
“Caution” is the lead single from the Killers’ upcoming sixth studio LP, Imploding the Mirage. The record, which also features “Fire in Bone” and the live-debuted “Blowback,” was initially scheduled for a May release but was indefinitely delayed as they worked to finalize the album.
Imploding the Mirage also features guest spots from Weyes Blood, K.D. Lang, the War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel, Blake Mills and Lucius. Shawn Everett and Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado produced the project, which follows 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful.
The Killers, who participated in the One World: Together at Home special, addressed the death of George Floyd in a minimal rendition of their 2019 protest tune “Land of the Free.” They also recently discussed the turbulent — and ultimately gratifying — creative journey that spawned their new LP in a recent Rolling Stone interview.
“A lot of moments reminded me of making our first album, where you just know that it’s going to connect because of the way it makes you feel,” Flowers said. “I felt like that 20-year-old kid almost inventing something again.”
