In The Car Outside

More new music from The Killers and a Pure Michigan getaway

My friends, welcome to Tuesday here in your inbox or via the magic of the Internet, where I’m coming to you live with another edition of my music-menswear-craft beer newsletter, The Style Guide In Brief. I’m currently in the midst of a Pure Michigan vacation Up North on the lovely Leelanau Peninsula (wearing some James Bond-inspired swim trunks, at that), so today’s dispatch is going to be short. However, I’d wager you already know the band and the album we’re discussing for just a bit here. It’s “Pressure Machine” by The Killers, as I dove into briefly in my Saturday newsletter. It’s a gripping and emotional album, one with incredibly quiet moments and some deeply personal stories from lead singer Brandon Flowers’ childhood growing up in Utah (when I interviewed him for Esquire earlier this year, he called writing the album a “renaissance, as I’ve previously mentioned).

It’s a surprisingly intense album at times from a band that specializes in soaring anthems, but as with any Killers album, it’s got its huge, epic moments — like the post-punk cruiser “In The Car Outside,” which steps off the album’s path just a bit musically. It’s the sort of song off of this album that I could see working famously in the incredible live show this Las Vegas band puts on (it helps that Mr. Flowers pulls it off as a stylish showman all the while). This track, one of my favorites off the album — although they’re all virtually tied at this point — was even named Record of the Week by RadioX. Either way, it’s what I’m going to be listening to constantly the rest of my trip. For a bit of a virtual getaway of your own, here are a few other choice picks from yours truly:

• For some shopping this week, check out my guide to the best leather bags and road trip gear from Satchel & Page over on my regular, daily style blog, The Style Guide.

• To sip this week and close out summer the right way, head to my guide to the best light lagers over at the excellent parenting and lifestyle site Fatherly. Cheers!

That’ll wrap up today’s post — go listen to The Killers and close up that laptop early today to enjoy a cold beer!