The last thing 2017 needed was an ode to machismo, which is why the lead single off the Killers’ brand-new record, Wonderful Wonderful, initially gave me pause. In the chorus of “The Man,” frontman Brandon Flowers brags, “I got gas in the tank/I got money in the bank/I got skin in the game/I got a household name/I got news for you, baby/You’re looking at the man.”
I fell in love with the Killers at age 11, and still love them, but do not currently possess the desire or energy to defend their missteps. Thankfully, “The Man” is pure satire—new territory for Flowers, who told Rolling Stone it’s meant as a critique of his own cockiness at the beginning of the band’s career. This musical peacocking comes complete with glitzy disco rhythms, the sound of expensive bottles poppin’, and an indulgent mid-song fake-out: “Headed to the hall of—faaaame!”