A half dozen albums into his term as co-founder and guitarist of chart-topping rock group The Killers, David Keuning made his solo debut in early 2019. Featuring an early-'80s influence that would be familiar to fans of his band, his first album, Prismism, bridged new wave/post-punk, spiky indie rock, and artful balladry.

Born in Iowa in 1976, Keuning started playing guitar at the age of 14. As a young adult in 2000, he relocated to Las Vegas and found work at a clothing store on the Las Vegas Strip. He met singer/keyboardist Brandon Flowers after placing an ad in a local alternative newspaper in hopes of starting a band. A shared love of groups including New Order and the Cure and Keuning's early demo of "Mr. Brightside" sealed the deal, and the two began working on material together in 2002, adding Mark Stoermer on bass and Ronnie Vannucci on drums. The band began playing small clubs in Las Vegas, and word of their Brit-influenced sound made its way to London-based indie imprint Lizard King, which quickly signed them. After temporarily moving to the U.K., where they issued a limited-edition single for "Mr. Brightside," the Killers signed a worldwide deal with Island, which released their debut album, Hot Fuss, in 2004. The singles "Mr. Brightside," "Somebody Told Me," "Smile Like You Mean It," and "All These Things That I've Done" became worldwide chart hits, and the LP went to number one in the U.K., Ireland, and Australia, reaching four in Canada and number seven in the States. By 2006, Hot Fuss had earned five Grammy nominations and sold over five million copies.

Rather than take a break to recover from their heavy tour regime, the Killers immediately set to work on a second album at a newly built studio at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Legendary producers Flood and Alan Moulder (who had previously worked together with U2 and the Smashing Pumpkins) were chosen to helm the controls. Instead of mining the glamour and glitz of their hometown (as they did to a successful extent on Hot Fuss), the group instead focused on nostalgia and the demise of old-fashioned American values, citing Bruce Springsteen as a chief influence for 2006's Sam's Town. Led by the Top 20 single "When You Were Young," the album hit number one in the U.K. and number two in the U.S. and earned the Killers two additional Grammy nominations. Sawdust, a collection of B-sides, rarities, and remixes, followed one year later.

The Killers returned in 2008 with Day Age, which favored pop pastiches and sleek, Bowie-inspired dance-rock. The group's return to the dancefloor was emboldened by Stuart Price, a veteran producer who had previously worked with Madonna and Gwen Stefani, and the Top 40 single "Human" helped the Killers continue their commercial streak. A lengthy tour carried the band into 2009, which also saw the release of the concert album Live from the Royal Albert Hall. Solo work filled many of the next few years, including Flowers' Flamingo, Vannucci's Big Talk, and Stoermer's Another Life.

After reconvening in early 2011, the Killers' fourth studio album enlisted a small army of notable producers, including Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor, Stuart Price, and Brendan O'Brien. The resulting Battle Born was released in September 2012 and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. A year later, the Killers issued their first greatest-hits collection, Direct Hits, which included two newly recorded songs ("Shot at Night" and "Just Another Girl").

In 2015, the quartet began working on material for their fifth studio album, which was produced by Jacknife Lee. The resulting record, 2017's Wonderful Wonderful, featured cameos by Mark Knopfler and Brian Eno, as well as the radio hit "The Man." Their first U.S. number one, the album also topped the album charts in the U.K. and Australia. Before the Killers hit the road in support of the release, the band announced that Keuning and Stoermer would not be participating in the tour, though they had not left the group.

Consisting primarily of songs that he had presented to bandmates but which were never recorded, Keuning released his first solo album on the Pretty Faithful label in early 2019. Prismism debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. ~ Andrew Leahey & Marcy Donelson, Rovi