Pressure Machine
by The Killers
  • Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Aug 13, 2021
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 110 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 102 out of 110
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 110
  3. Negative: 6 out of 110
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  1. MrBunnigan
    Aug 13, 2021
    2
    As if The Killers couldn't get any more boring, they decided to strip away all the loud instrumentation that made their music somewhat enjoyable to listen to in the background, but failed to change their songwriting formula whatsoever, resulting one of the most generic, boring albums I've ever heard
  2. Skydog
    Aug 13, 2021
    0
    Awful. Boring, slow, lyrically unimpressive (might as well go to a church with a hint of tacky-ass Beatles metaphors thrown in) and instrumentally lackluster. Cannot believe this passed through a recording studio and got told "THIS IS GREAT!"

    "Some people will call it boring and don't know the true meaning.." um he's writing about something that's been done thousands of times. I get    Awful. Boring, slow, lyrically unimpressive (might as well go to a church with a hint of tacky-ass Beatles metaphors thrown in) and instrumentally lackluster. Cannot believe this passed through a recording studio and got told "THIS IS GREAT!"

    "Some people will call it boring and don't know the true meaning.."
    um he's writing about something that's been done thousands of times. I get the meaning.. it's just bland and generic. Writing about drug overdosing and your hometown is so cliche.    … Expand
  3. Corporate_Goon
    Oct 25, 2021
    3
    Was excited to hear this after the strong reviews, but was very disappointed. Opens strong with "West Hills", and then falls into a pattern of downtempo durges for the entire remainder of the album. It's a miserable, boring listen. Some songs, like "Desparate Things" barely have melodies at all and plod along at the same downtempo pace as every other song.

    It's a shame as there are a    Was excited to hear this after the strong reviews, but was very disappointed. Opens strong with "West Hills", and then falls into a pattern of downtempo durges for the entire remainder of the album. It's a miserable, boring listen. Some songs, like "Desparate Things" barely have melodies at all and plod along at the same downtempo pace as every other song.

    It's a shame as there are a couple really great, standout tracks (West Hills and the title tracks), but I can't see myself putting this into regular listening rotation. It's the kind of "serious" album about "serious" topics that critics lose their minds over, but is completely forgotten a few months after its release.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Sep 15, 2021
    50
    Quiet Town and Runaway Horses exhibit tender lyrical themes, and there's brief respite in the dreamy haze of Sleepwalker and Pressure Machine. However, nostalgia and the shattering of childhood idylls reoccur through In the Car Outside and In Another Life. [Oct 2021, p.78]
  2. No Ripcord
    Aug 27, 2021
    70
    The band’s blinkered aspiration to create a classic again produces an album that is enjoyable but hollow. In that way, at least, Pressure Machine is a Killers album just like any other.
    Read full review
  3. Under The Radar
    Aug 25, 2021
    75
    This stirring portrait of small town existence in its twilight serves as a necessary metaphor, applicable to many of the major issues currently facing the nation. It is most certainly The Killers’ finest album since Battle Born, and successfully proves The Killers as visionary musicians who shall surely help to define “classic rock” for many generations to come.
    Read full review
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