Hot Fuss

## **Singles from *Hot Fuss***

1. "Mr. Brightside"
Released: September 29, 2003
2. "Somebody Told Me"
Released: March 15, 2004
3. "All These Things That I've Done"
Released: August 30, 2004
4. "Smile Like You Mean It"
Released: May 2, 2005

***Hot Fuss*** is the debut studio album by American rock band The Killers, released on June 7, 2004, in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004, in the United States by Island Records. It went number one in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, and was nominated at the 2005 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, but lost to Green Day's *American Idiot*.

Lead vocalist Brandon Flowers informed *Spin* in 2009 that it "was all based on fantasy. The English influences, the makeup—they were what I imagined rock was." Regarding the cover artwork, they said they didn't have a concept, but were given a catalog of pictures by the record company and chose it because it worked well with the logo. The picture depicts a construction factor in Shanghai, photographed by Matthias Clamer. Lead guitarist Dave Keuning reminisced, "[The album] is still very sentimental to me. It's still a strong album and I hear a lot of joy in the songs from when we were making them." Additionally, Bono remarked in 2004, "It's rare to find a band who not only have the music but a lyricist too. I hear The Killers and I get off the phone."

## Synopsis

Having won over critics on both sides of the Atlantic with the sparkling hooks and maximalist choruses of their first two singles, "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me," The Killers set out to conquer the world with their 2004 debut album, which paired the pomp of New Romantic music with brisk synth-pop that recalled arena-level titans like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran. Those two songs were appealingly glammed-up entrants in the early-'00s "return of rock" gold-rush; "Somebody Told Me" is a tug-of-war between vocalist Brandon Flowers' insistent yelp and shooting-star synths, while "Mr. Brightside" is a broken heart rendered in Vegas-sign neon, its giddiness almost masking the tortured feelings at its core.

The rest of *Hot Fuss* builds on the promise of those singles in thrilling ways, with Flowers serving as the intensely bemused ringmaster of a low-lit, high-drama circus. "All These Things That I've Done" updates the ersatz anthems that ruled modern-rock radio in the '80s for the new millennium, its driving beats building to a singsong bridge—"I got soul, but I'm not a soldier"—that turns twentysomething anomie into a clarion call.

"Believe Me Natalie" underscores its tale of New York excess with dime-store horns and high-sheen synths that hint at the tawdry desperation guiding its protagonist. And "Smile Like You Mean It" dresses its regret in sequin-trimmed black, its bouncy beat adding pathos to its snapshot of lost youth. The Killers possessed the swagger of stadium-headlining heavyweights on their debut—and it immediately established them as one of the new millennium's biggest rock acts.

## Critical reception

Initial response to *Hot Fuss* was generally favorable by critics. Aggregator Metacritic assigned it the average score of 66 out of 100 based on 20 critic reviews. MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic praised in a retrospective review, "The Las Vegas foursome introduce a perfectly tailored new wave-induced art rock sound on their debut."

*Pitchfork* gave the rating 5.2 out of 10, stating the album "floats boatloads of blasé lyrics about the pressures of being fabulous and the politics of fucking over an easily sippable blend of 80s and 90s British pop influences, rarely pausing to test the end product." They concluded, "It's plain that The Killers have made a record more concerned with artifice than artistry [...] *Hot Fuss* is not hardcore; it's hard evidence that it's tough to focus on making great rock when you're preoccupied with cultivating an image." *PopMatters* critiqued, "The Killers take that '80s revival idea, gloss it up with shiny production, inflate it with a monstrous, booming sound that's perfect for mainstream rock radio, and under all the glitz, deliver lots and lots of candy-coated hooks." They added of how the remaining "six tracks get weighed down by too much production, a lack of memorable hooks, and some inexplicable musical touches that may have sounded clever in the studio, but wind up sounding disastrous on the CD." Similarly, *NME*'s Dan Martin applauded half of the album, then the rest "all goes a bit tits up," calling out "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" in particular "possibly the most teeth-grindingly embarrassing thing you will hear in your entire life."

*The A.V. Club* penned, "The problem with taking the high road about drawing on influences is that sometimes the copies make it work. [...] [*Hot Fuss*] sounds like an attempt to take the aesthetic of New York electroclash and '80s nostalgia acts." They conceded, "[B]ut it's got too many memorable moments to be written off. [...] Call The Killers the Stepford Band: It may not be genuine enough to love, but it'll do when the real thing's not around." Jenny Eliscu of *Rolling Stone* was more positive, awarding *Hot Fuss* 3.5 out of 5 stars. She commented, "Don't be fooled by their retro threads and the the in their name: The Killers threaten to pry dance rock from the steely grip of hipsterdom and thrust it unrepentantly into the mainstream." In a BBC Review, Nick Reynolds remarked, "The music is big, bold and confident. Clearly their influences are from 80s rock but they've put them together to create something of their own." He continued, "The Killers haven't quite got everything right on *Hot Fuss*. There are two or three weak songs, and the production could have been more imaginative" but added that they had the potential for "bigger and better things."

## Accolades

Awards and nominations

 2005
 Grammy Awards | Best Rock Album
 Meteor Ireland Music Awards

Listicles

## Personnel

Musicians
* Brandon Flowers – vocals, synthesizer
* Dave Keuning – guitar
* Mark Stoermer – bass
* Ronnie Vannucci Jr. – drums
* Sweet Inspirations – gospel choir (tracks 5, 6)

Technical
* Jeff Saltzman – production, recording (tracks 1–10)
* The Killers – production (tracks 1–10)
* Brandon Flowers – production (track 11)
* Corlene Byrd – recording (track 11)
* Dave Stedronsky – engineering assistance
* Mark Needham – engineering assistance (all tracks); mixing (tracks 2, 3, 8, 11)
* Will Brierre – engineering assistance
* Dario Dendi – engineering assistance
* Alan Moulder – mixing (tracks 1, 4–7, 9, 10)
* Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering

Artwork
* Louis Marino – art direction
* Seth Goldfarb – cover photo
* Matt Hartman – band photography

## Track listing

All tracks are produced by Jeff Saltzman and The Killers, except "Everything Will Be Alright", produced by Brandon Flowers.

* Keuning
* Stoermer
* Vannucci

* Keuning
* Stoermer
* Vannucci

* Keuning
* Stoermer
* Vannucci

* Keuning
* Stoermer
* Vannucci
* Keuning
* Keuning

## References

1. ↑ Marchese, David (February 1, 2009). "The SPIN Interview: Brandon Flowers". *Spin*.
2. ↑ "I took this picture in the suburbs of Beijing in 2000. An unknown band called #thekillers asked if they could use it for their album cover, projecting to sell 5000 copies. They sold 7 million. I credit the album art. Just kidding, I love this album. I shot the band 3 times since. #hotfuss". *Instagram*. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. January 26, 2016.
3. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (June 7, 2014). "Anatomy of an Album – The Killers: Hot Fuss". *NME*. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020.
4. ↑ "Hot Fuss by The Killers". *Metacritic*.
5. ↑ "Hot Fuss Review by MacKenzie Wilson". *AllMusic*.
6. ↑ Loftus, Johnny (July 5, 2004). *The Killers: Hot Fuss*. *Pitchfork*.
7. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (June 15, 2004). "Some Killer, Plenty of Filler". *PopMatters*. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004.
8. ↑ Martin, Dan (September 12, 2005). "The Killers : Hot Fuss". *NME*.
9. ↑ Phipps, Keith (July 6, 2004). "The Killers: *Hot Fuss*". *The A.V. Club*.
10. ↑ Eliscu, Jenny (July 8, 2004). "Hot Fuss". *Rolling Stone*. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011.
11. ↑ Reynolds, Nick (2004). "The Killers Hot Fuss Review". *BBC*.