With five years passing since their last studio album, The Killers released their fifth album, “Wonderful Wonderful,” on Friday, Sept. 22. This album takes The Killers’ indie rock sound and completely revamps it.

This new direction has been a long time coming. With each album, The Killers’ sound has stayed in the alternative rock genre but has gradually shifted toward a more pop-influenced sound.

The first song on the album and title track, “Wonderful Wonderful,” is a bass-heavy song with an unclear meaning. Instrumentals overpower the vocals on this track, except for in the bridge. Overall, this song isn’t as strong as would be expected from a title track of an album.

The first single from “Wonderful Wonderful” was “The Man,” released on June 14. This song is confident and proud in nature, saying, “I got news for you baby, you’re looking at the man.” The upbeat, funk-inspired instrumental gives the song its power, making listeners want to get up and dance around.

“Run For Cover,” is the second single from “Wonderful Wonderful.” It was released on July 28. This song is upbeat in the tone, but not in the lyrics. The lyrics tell a darker story of people running from their problems. “Rut” is another uplifting song with a darker meaning. This song covers the topics of depression and emotional apathy. In the first verse, singer Brandon Flowers says, “Can’t keep my mind off of every little wrong, I see the mouths are open but I can’t hear the song.” This is a beautiful way of explaining how depression can make one feel. This song has a compelling meaning, covering these sad topics in an understanding and empathetic way. Paired with beautifully whimsical instrumentals, “Rut” makes for an stunning listening experience overall.

“Life To Come” is a light and positive song. This song is simply blissful to the ears. The lyrics speak about perseverance and strength through adversity. Toward the end, the words can be a bit repetitive, but it’s done well and doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Pop culture influenced song “Tyson Vs. Douglas” tells about the narrator’s experience during the historical boxing match between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas. This was Tyson’s first loss in his career, and needless to say, people were shocked to know that Tyson’s winning streak was over. This song conveys that feeling of shock and disbelief nicely, painting a picture in the listener’s mind.

Two songs on “Wonderful Wonderful” threw the listeners off with their out of place sounds. “The Calling” starts off with a man’s voice reading from the Book of Matthew in the Bible. The rest of the song has a dark wave, gospel-esque vibe to it. This song is way out of place on a pop rock album. The instrumentals are done well, but the lyrics and Biblical reading at the beginning are confusing and out of place. The final song on the album, “Have All The Songs Been Written?,” is definitely a strange way to end an album. This song is slow and mellow, with the lyrics questioning the finality of an era.

Overall, The Killers’ new album isn’t as strong as it was expected to be. Unfortunately, there are quite a few unmemorable songs on “Wonderful Wonderful,” including “Some Kind of Love” and “Out of My Mind.” These songs are easy to just skip over and forget about. Although great moments are spread throughout, the band can’t expect a few good songs to carry an entire album.