The king of catchy Indie-Pop has returned whilst The Killers are on hiatus as Las Vegas’ Brandon Flowers prepares for the impending release of The Desired Effect on May 18th. For the follow up to 2010’s Flamingo Flowers has chosen to work with Ariel Rechtshaid who has recently produced records for HAIM, Sky Ferreira and Vampire Weekend and this really is a statement of intent for Flowers and a significant shift in his sound. This shift is evident in the lead single ‘Can’t Deny My Love’ which opens with warping synths and tumbling 80’s metallic-style percussion and rumbling bass lines that lead Flowers into an isolated falsetto. You are then fired into the chorus through bursts of worn and shifting electronica and crisp vocals that are cut so cleanly even for Brandon Flowers standards. The powerful backing vocals only add to the dramatics of what is an insatiably effective track as you’d expect from a man who churns out such songs in his sleep, but with this Gabriel-esque style and power in combination with Flowers’ knack for crafting a hook-laden track and you have one of the defining singles of the year so far. All we can do is have this on repeat until May 18th.
Leave a Reply