My alarm clock feels more like a stop watch than an alarm. From the second I wake up I rush about my day letting it all blur together into one big mess of narrowly made deadlines and half baked social interactions. Despite close friendships and constant human presence, living in an urban college town can feel isolating at times. I walk through town, dodging unfamiliar faces left and right, hands in my pockets, music playing in my headphones. Time to pull up “Pressure Machine” and hit shuffle.
“Pressure Machine” is the seventh studio album by The Killers and is one of their most evocative works. While The Killers often lean more towards indie or alternative rock, “Pressure Machine” brings out the americana/heartland rock/folk side of this Nevada based band. When listening to it you can hear the influence of Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, and John Prine. It is an incredibly raw, introspective, and revealing album that lead singer Brandon Flowers created to reflect his experience growing up in a small town called Nephi in rural Utah. Throughout the album, Flowers explores the hardships of small town life, such as drug addiction, unspoken grief, desperation, internalized homophobia and inherited faith, but he shows people facing them together, with a perseverance and goodness that feels increasingly rare.
The struggles are real, but so is the sense that everyone is known and no one is anonymous, which is the exact thing that feels missing from a fast, detached modern life. Each song brings a unique story to the table. In the unabridged version of the album, Flowers includes personal anecdotes at the beginning of almost every song to allow the person who the song is about to have a moment of emphasis. They are able to share a piece of their life and let us outsiders in. This album gives the overlooked parts of America a voice and highlights the authenticity that often seems lost in modern society.
Now, for just a second I just want you to think about a road trip you’ve been on. How many small towns do you think you passed through with nothing but a food truck, a dollar general, and an antique store? Do you just ignore those places, or like me do you wonder what life is like in places where time moves slower? If you do, implore you to give "Pressure Machine” a chance and press play.
To get you started, here are some of my essential tracks:
The album opens up with ‘West Hills’ a song that touches on drug addiction, faith, forgiveness, and vastness. It’s a song that truly takes up space, from Flowers’ belting notes to the orchestra of instrumentals. From the interviews at the beginning to the thoughtful lyrics, this song acts as an introduction of what’s to come. A few lyrics that stand out to me most are: “When he pulls my chart / He’ll reject my actions / But he will know my heart” and “And they got me for possession / Of them hillbilly heroine pills / Enough to kill the horses that run / Free in the West Hills”.
Track 2, ‘Quiet Town’ is my personal favorite. It really showcases what it’s like living in a small town where everybody knows each other and experiences the same things one way or another. It deals with themes of tragedy, community, beauty, and collective sorrow. The shared grief, intimate connection, and hidden beauty in this song make it stand out among the rest. The lyrics I would most highlight are: “I, I think the train is a way to find your way out of this life” , “Good people, they still don’t deadbolt their doors at night / In this quiet town” and “Now banners of sorrow mark the front steps of childhood homes / Parents wept through daddy’s girl eulogies / And merit badge milestones with their daughters and sons”
Track 6 acts as a representation of innocence, social expectations, impermanence, and resilience. ‘Runaway Horses’ featuring Phoebe Bridgers follows a small-town girl’s life from a young age to her early adulthood, illustrating how childhood innocence can morph into falsified maturity. Having a female artist on this track is also powerful in giving the song some ethos. Lyrics that stand out most are: “You traded school / For wedding rings and rent, invitations sent” and “And every step is a silver prayer / In the face of a hard wind / Like runaway horses”.
Bearing the same name as the album, ‘Pressure Machine’ addresses the albums main themes such as rural identity, immobility, family dynamics, and religious conformity. Track 10 emphasizes the importance of appreciating the small luxuries in your day to day. It also shows how creating pockets of peace and acceptance despite the stress of adulthood can create a balance in your life. The lyrics that tell this story best are: “I’ll get up and cut the grass / Ain’t nothing wrong with working class” , “Keep the debt cloud off the kids / Only sunshine on their lids” and “If I shut my mouth and keep the peace / She’ll cook my eggs in bacon grease”.