Brandon Flowers Sees Vampire Weekend as Competitors

Brandon Flowers of The Killers recently expressed his competitive nature towards other musicians, specifically mentioning Vampire Weekend as one of his competitors. During an interview on Anthony Mason's Alchemy podcast, Flowers discussed his upcoming solo album, THRASHER, and how he is always looking for inspiration to create new music. He noted that he has a bit of competition in him and that being aware of other bands' releases can be beneficial.

Flowers also mentioned that Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, the band's lead singer and primary songwriter, is someone he admires. They share a producer, Ariel Rechtshaid, who has worked on the last three Vampire Weekend albums and is now producing The Killers' next LP. Despite their distinct musical styles, Flowers expressed that he is more focused on Koenig's well-being than the differences between their sounds.

The Killers frontman shared a story about how hearing Vampire Weekend's fourth album, Father of the Bride, inspired him to create better music for The Killers' 2020 album, Imploding the Mirage. He told Koenig about the impact the album had on him and how it pushed the band to improve their work. Additionally, Flowers credited The Strokes' debut album, Is This It, for inspiring The Killers to create their own unique sound with their first album, Hot Fuss, initially doubting their ability to succeed after hearing Is This It.