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Pressure Machine
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Pressure Machine Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 110 Ratings

  • Summary: The poems Brandon Flowers wrote about the small Utah town he grew up in were the basis for the Las Vegas rock band's seventh full-length studio release that also features a guest appearance from Phoebe Bridgers.
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  • Record Label: Island
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Sputnikmusic
    Aug 15, 2021
    100
    While documenting the shattered dreams of small town Americana, Brandon Flowers has finally created the Earth-mover that he's always lusted after – and ironically, it comes during a moment of quiet reflection.
  2. The Line of Best Fit
    Aug 12, 2021
    90
    They've created something cinematic, pragmatic, and above all, fantastically like nothing we’ve heard from them before.
  3. Paste Magazine
    Aug 13, 2021
    82
    All of the emotional turmoil that this record holds makes it a thrilling—and kind of frightful—experience from start to finish.
  4. Clash Music
    Aug 13, 2021
    80
    A rich, rewarding experience, this isn’t an album to be understood easily – uneasy listening, it could be their most enlightening record yet.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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]
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See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 46
  3. Negative: 3 out of 46
  1. jonkulator
    Aug 13, 2021
    10
    Just a fantastic albun been a long time killers fan .Love that they are stadium rockers but this album feels like the realization of theJust a fantastic albun been a long time killers fan .Love that they are stadium rockers but this album feels like the realization of the potential they always had to be a great American band and even have a shot at the best band in the world right now .
    Cant wait to hear the next chapter in the Killerverse    … Expand
  2. Amoabigtimerush
    Sep 1, 2021
    10
    Es una joya, una evolución correcta. Que nos da un nuevo the killers y el cual me encanto. Espero poder seguir escuchando cosas así másEs una joya, una evolución correcta. Que nos da un nuevo the killers y el cual me encanto. Espero poder seguir escuchando cosas así más adelante en su discografia… Expand
  4. fabioDR
    Aug 13, 2021
    10
    love to see their growth and the way this sounds uniquely different from their previous efforts
  5. ebj3000
    Aug 25, 2021
    10
    Flowers is sincere on this album. I think that’s the best kind of art. Stripped down melodies are perfect for the dark tones here. This couldFlowers is sincere on this album. I think that’s the best kind of art. Stripped down melodies are perfect for the dark tones here. This could be their best.… Expand
  6. Mellowry
    Aug 27, 2021
    9
    Definitely the darkest Killers record. I really like the opening, such as the "Interview Interludes" and I actually felt really sad after someDefinitely the darkest Killers record. I really like the opening, such as the "Interview Interludes" and I actually felt really sad after some songs, so if you suffer from mental disorders like depression, listening to this album will most likely help you reach your feelings, or at least makes you feel at least "something" within it. The voices really add a sort of feeling that I last felt at Johnny Cash's self-titled, the atmosphere is really hard to describe, but I definitely like it. Good Job, Killers! One of my favorite releases this year.… Expand
  7. freshmowngrass
    Aug 13, 2021
    9
    Somber, poetic, and shot through with hope. The stripped back instrumentation is reminiscent of 90s alt-rock and allows the subtle beauty ofSomber, poetic, and shot through with hope. The stripped back instrumentation is reminiscent of 90s alt-rock and allows the subtle beauty of the lyrics and melodies to really shine. An unexpectedly beautiful album.… Expand
  8. 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) andAwful. 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

See all 46 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Most Discussed Album of 2021

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