Video: Keuning, ‘The Queen’s Finest’

S.Lo on January 16th, 2019

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Destiny called Dave Keuning pretty quickly after Brandon Flowers responded to the Iowa native’s ad to form a rock band in a late 2001 issue of the Las Vegas Weekly. Five chart-topping albums later, Keuning is the only Killers member yet to release his own solo full-length. That changes Jan. 25, when “Prismism,” a multi-faceted 14-song collection written, recorded and almost entirely played by Keuning at his home studio in San Diego, is released.

“I never wanted to be the singer in The Killers,” he emphasizes, “And I don’t care if people don’t believe me. I’ve definitely had those thoughts, but I can honestly tell you ever since I picked one up at 14, all I ever wanted to do was play the guitar.” He eventually relented for his own project. Traveling widely away from the canon of the Killers sound with, at times, alternately soaring and willowy synths in place of rock guitar anthems, his smooth baritone voicing of (the) Cars, Crowded House and Laurel Canyon-worthy melodies of youthful idealism against realism, diving into the treacherous waters of love, and dreams evaporating “in a bright pink flame” against catchy beats are perfect for a nighttime drive along the coast with the roof down or that end of day sink into the bed.

The video for Keuning’s latest single, “The Queen’s Finest,” directed by Russell Sheaffer, is a sweet portrait of young love that sees beyond walls and reaches across the tracks to connect, ignoring condescending voices above wagging their fingers. As a young boy ferrets out of the working class part of town, he catches the eye of a fetching girl from the two-storied, upper class side of town. The only obstacle that matters is learning how to roller skate, which they conquer while holding hands under the spinning disco ball as Keuning sings with his band, “Waste away / The length of days get shorter / We’ll figure it out / This road is unforgiving / And so they told you to try to understand / ‘We’re really sorry, boy, you need to change your plans / So move along, there’s nothing here for you to see.'” The youngsters aren’t fazed a bit.

Finally feeling the joy and freedom of a solo side project, Keuning says he’s both refreshed to return back to the fore of the group while continuing to spin out in his own directions when the inclination strikes, “… there’s no stopping me now. I’m going to pump out new music for the rest of my life, for audiences big or small, Killers or no Killers. Now that I’ve got a taste of how enjoyable this is.”

“Prismism” is available by pre-order now via PledgeMusic.

||| Watch: The video for “The Queen’s Finest”