Finally! The band that brought you Mr Brightside and Human
have released a new song that’s not a
U2 cover or a Christmas song! It’s truly a miraculous event in the world of The
Victims.
It’s almost cruel to yourself to become a fan of a band
immediately before they go on a hiatus of over two years, but that’s exactly
what I did. Now I’m not going to go off on a The-Killers-concert-changed-my-life
tangent, as much as I’d like to, but suffice it to say that this is the first
new material they’ve released since I’ve been a fan, and I’m not disappointed!
Excitement had been building in the fan community for several
weeks before the release on the 10th of July… we’d even seen the
single artwork, and been treated to an album preview in the form of a video
clip. It was no surprise then, that when the song leaked mere hours before the
official release, the fans were torn. To listen or not to listen? Personally, I
am fully against leaks like this… in my opinion they completely, well, kill, the excitement of everyone
listening together for the first time, whether it be on radio, online, or by
any other means. But yes, I am a
terrible person, and yes, I listened to the leak. At work, even. In my office. Through my
headphones. Ignoring anyone who attempted to speak to me for those 4 minutes.
Upon pressing ‘play’, I became confused for a few seconds:
it seemed as though someone had simply labeled Crossfire as ‘Runaways’, and was
now sitting back and laughing whilst the Victims had a mild panic attack. No,
really, the intro is identical to that of Brandon’s solo single, Crossfire! That,
however, is not a bad thing. But ahhhh, then the vocals kick in, the drums, the
bass, and guitars, and The Killers are back, just as though they’d never left
the world of music at all. Oh, it’s such a beautiful feeling, when your
favourite band restore your faith in them! I had worried that the song might
not be that great, that I’d love it anyway, but only because it was The
Killers. I can assure you that that is not the case at all. Runaways is a
sweeping track of epic proportions, combining the electro vibes of Hot Fuss,
the grandeur of Sam’s Town and the catchiness of Day & Age, then adding a
brand new element of power-rock to this anthemic song. Yes, audiences will belt
this out in stadiums, in arenas, and in huge parks. Yes, I will be one of
them! No, the song will not be a radio
hit, but who cares? Most people who listen to mainstream radio have no taste in
music at all, and that’s their loss.
Unlike Coldplay did last year, The Killers have not
completely changed their sound for this new single, but why should they? If they
have the perfect formula for music, why change it, right? I’m glad that they
haven’t felt the need to go mainstream, sell out, or try anything particularly
strange. And somehow, 99% of the reactions to the song seem extremely positive.
Even NME didn’t have a bad word to say about Runaways…now that’s when you know
you’ve done something right.
