The Killers have been rolling out their new album Imploding The Mirage since November 2019, before the first coronavirus cases were identified in China. They released its lead single “Caution” on March 12, the day after the NBA suspended its season and Tom Hanks revealed he had the virus, when life suddenly and startlingly began to change in the United States. The pandemic is sadly nowhere near over in this country, but the album’s rollout is finally complete: Imploding The Mirage is out today.

Whereas 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful was a variety platter highlighted by the campy disco-funk single “The Man,” this time around they’ve gone all-in on heartland rock. Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado and War On Drugs associate Shawn Everett produced the album, and guests include War On Drugs leader Adam Granduciel, Weyes Blood, kd lang, Blake Mills, and Lucius, plus a guitar solo from none other than Lindsey Buckingham.

As you may have surmised from “Caution” and subsequent singles “Fire In Bone,” “My Own Soul’s Warning,” and “Dying Breed,” the resulting set of ’80s-indebted anthems is ideally suited to the band’s skill set. There are traces of Tom Petty, Dire Straits, and of course Bruce Springsteen in the mix, and the target location in “Running Towards A Place” seems to be “Red Eyes.” When bits of funk, disco, and synth-pop do creep into the songs, they do so naturally and often impressively. And although it’s not always clear what he’s singing about, Brandon Flowers always sounds great bellowing over grandiose guitar bangers with a polished synthetic sheen.

Imploding The Mirage is, in short, the Killers’ most satisfying collection of songs in more than a decade. Stream it below.

Imploding The Mirage is out now on Island.