As the lead single from his upcoming third studio album, ‘THRASHER’, the track marks a significant pivot away from the 80s synth-pop of ‘The Desired Effect’, leaning into a particularly full-bodied, authentic country sound instead.
Flowers explains: “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“.
Recorded in Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio A with producers Shawn Everett and Jonathan Rado, ‘Plans’ sits much closer to the slow-burning storytelling style of The Killers’ ‘Pressure Machine’ than previous solo releases, ‘Flamingo’ and ‘The Desired Effect’. While neither album shied away completely from country influence – ‘The Clock Was Tickin’’ from ‘Flamingo’ and ‘Diggin’ Up The Heart’ from ‘The Desired Effect’ being honourable mentions here – ‘Plans’ takes that influence and pushes it further than Flowers ever has before.
With acoustic guitar, strings and rich backing vocals, it’s safe to say that the single sits very comfortably in old-school country-western territory. Flowers’ voice suits it more than many might expect, too. Yes, his vocals have always had that beautiful Americana twang, but in ‘Plans’, it’s crystal clear – his deep, weathered vocals in the first half of the track are so low they’re suitably reminiscent of the rumblings of a truck driving through the desert. It gives the lyrics, including “I think I’m going under”, a much more significant weight, which might have been lost amongst a more polished sound.
Some fans will likely miss the synths – and understandably so. But, as a pivot into something more country, traditional and stripped back, it really works. While it might not be the Brandon Flowers the old-school Killers fans were hoping for, ‘Plans’ makes complete sense as Flowers’ next move, and this is definitely something to be excited about.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.musicistoblame.co.uk ’
