The Killers have released a politically charged new song, tackling a wide range of themes including Donald Trump's border wall, incarceration, and gun violence.
"Land of the Free" came out on Monday, shortly after the group urged fans to listen to Zane Lowe’s show on Beats1 World Record for “something new”.
The band also unveiled the accompanying music video directed by Spike Lee, which features footage of immigrants at the US-Mexico border.
In "Land of the Free", Brandon Flowers sings about gun violence in the following terms: "So how many daughters, tell me how many sons
"Do we have to have to put in the ground before we just break down and face it
"We got a problem with guns."
A passage about incarceration goes as such: "We got more people locked up than the rest of the world
"Right here in red, white and blue
"Incarceration's become big business."
Flowers also delivers the following verses about the president's proposed wall at the US-Mexico border: "Down at the border, they're gonna put up a wall Concrete and re-bar steel beams (I'm standing crying)
"High enough to keep all those filthy hands off of our hopes and our dreams (I'm standing crying)
"People who just want the same things we do In the land of the free."
The music video adds to the political flavour of the song. It was filmed in a few weeks around the end of 2018, according to Rolling Stone, and The Killers gave Lee full artistic control.
Prior to the release of the song, the Las Vegas band posted new artwork – which includes a composite of images of the Statue of Liberty – on their Twitter and Instagram accounts that reads “Land of the Free”.
The band previously posted a photo in December that confirmed they were back in the studio, and suggested new material was imminent.
The Killers' last album Wonderful Wonderful scored them their first US number one album in 2017, bettering their previous high of number two with Sam’s Town in 2006.
Wonderful Wonderful also made history in the UK as The Killers became the first international act to score five UK number one albums in a row. Frontman Flowers has now achieved seven UK number one albums, after the success of his two solo records Flamingo and Desired Effect.
The Independent gave Wonderful Wonderful 3/5 stars, criticising it for "outdated" disco influences but praising the flamboyance of Flowers' delivery.
The 2017 record was the band’s first since Battle Born five years before, but speaking to NME, the band’s drummer Ronnie Vannuci Jr insisted the wait would not be as long this time around, saying: “It’s in our minds and I think we want to get it right away. I don’t want to take any more time and I think we’re ready.”
Dave Keuning, guitarist of The Killers, has also confirmed his debut solo album, Prismism, will be released on 25 January.
