The Killers - Runaways

So after four years since their last album which was entitled Day & Age, The Killers have finally returned from their hiatus with their brand new single. Its been a hectic month for me musically, with the lead singles for both The Killers' Battle Born album and Pet Shop Boys Elysium album being premiered (coincidentally, both albums are due to be released on the same day). Whilst Pet Shop Boys new single was a bit of a letdown I felt, Runaways is everything a lead single should be: its rousing, sounds unmistakably like a Killers song and grabs your attention. I would even go so far as to say it stands up with the best singles The Killers have ever released, if not being one of their best songs overall! After a rather lengthy hiatus they needed a strong song as their comeback and Runaways does that perfectly!  You can definitely hear the influences of Bruce Springsteen on the track also I think, and the opening piano chords and first verse melody also remind me a lot of Brandon Flowers solo record. At first, I thought it would be simplistic as it starts sparingly but it quickly builds and its easy to envisage this becoming a live staple not too far from the ranks of All These Things That I've Done. When the chorus finally kicks in around two minutes in, it just begs to be heard in a live context I feel. What I also personally love is that it mixes the very Americana-influenced Sam's Town sound but also mixes in some synths (and I particularly love the synth work here) which echo's songs like Human and Smile Like You Mean It. The arrangement goes perfectly with the lyrics of the song I think, which depicts a story of love gone wrong. People who are still stuck in their Hot Fuss era and who won't accept any other sound will probably bash the song, although I struggle when you compare Somebody Told Me (even though its somewhat of a modern day classic) to Runaways and it becomes clear that the band have matured tremendously, and in my opinion for the better. The track seems to be getting incredibly positive reviews from critics and fans alike, all of which I feel is thoroughly deserved. If the rest of Battle Born is as strong (and the signs are good so far) then I think we could be looking at the strongest album from The Killers yet!