Park City’s Brandon Flowers releases new solo album without The Killers

PARK CITY, Utah — Brandon Flowers released his third solo album, Thrasher, on Friday, marking a deeply personal departure for The Killers’ frontman.

Moving away from the surging synthesizers and arena-rock anthems that propelled him to global stardom, the Park City resident has embraced country and Americana.

The album draws heavily from Flowers’ childhood in Nephi, where he lived from roughly age 10 to 16. Its songs trade massive pop hooks for stories rooted in family, memory, and small-town life in the American West.

Recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, Thrasher features several acclaimed session musicians, including guitarist David Rawlings and pedal steel guitarist Bruce Bouton. The album also includes contributions from 85-year-old harmonica player Charlie McCoy, whose work appeared on all four of Bob Dylan’s Nashville albums.

The record has drawn praise for its vulnerability and imaginative storytelling. Its closing track, “An American Dream,” features The Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and follows a dream in which Elvis Presley drives Flowers through the afterlife in a Tesla.

Earlier singles include the driving “Tiger’s Blood” and the stripped-down “Miss America.” Flowers wrote “Miss America” about his older sister’s experience escaping an abusive marriage, grounding the song in a painful chapter of his family’s history.

Flowers will celebrate the release with two intimate performances Aug. 28 and 29 at The State Room in Salt Lake City. The shows come shortly before he begins a broader solo tour in support of Thrasher. Concert and ticket information is available through The State Room.