Watch the visuals for ‘Broken Clocks’ here first and read our exclusive chat

Keuning may not be a name that's instantly recognisable, however the riffs created by the man behind the moniker certainly will be. Since 2001 Dave Keuning has been a member of The Killers, played to thousands of people around the globe and lent his songwriting skills to that little number ‘Mr Brightside’.

Now pushing full steam ahead with his solo project, the aptly titled Keuning, Dave has just released his debut solo album Prismism, and we’ve got our hands on the latest music video to drop from the record. Directed by Russell Sheaffer, the visuals hone in on a glitchy and retro aesthetic for the 2019 release. Press play on the video for ‘Broken Clocks’ below:

We also caught up with Dave on the phone to find out more about the video and his plans for his solo venture…

Gigwise: Where did the glitchy, VCR retro aesthetic for the ‘Broken Clocks’ video come from?

Dave Keuining: It was kind of the director’s idea but it also fit with the whole vibe of the album. There’s definitely a lot of 80s references, and I really like the old 80s effects - it seemed like a cool thing to do. I miss the VCR days.

GW: How involved were you in the direction and execution of the video?

DK: I was definitely involved in the idea and the direction of it, but I didn’t create the effects, that was all the director’s idea.

GW: Did it fit the vision you had for the track?

DK: Yeah for sure, I like the track and I wanted to do something special for that one.

GW: You have an upcoming tour at the end of the month, you’re booked to play quite intimate venues. Are you excited about getting closer to the audience, is it a welcome change from larger arena tours with The Killers?

DK: It’s gonna be a lot of fun, of course I still love the bigger audiences too - I’ve just done a similar tour in America on the West Coast and I’m excited to bring it to England, it will give me a chance to be up close with the English fans, who have been very kind to us over the years. It’s kinda like going back to the roots of The Killers, a lot of these cities we’ve played over the years so it will be nice to go back.

GW: Can you tell the difference between an English audience and an American audience?

DK: It seems like the English people enjoy music a little more, and enjoy going to concerts a little more. I don’t know what it is, guess it’s just a cultural thing, maybe Americans have a lot more going on or something, or have a lot of other things they’d rather do - you almost have to drag people out to a concert, unless they’re a music fanatic - and there’s not many of those in America as there is. There are some people like me who are a music fanatic like ‘I know everything about the band and I follow them’, but a lot of Americans are casual music-goers, you’re lucky if you can get them to come to one of your shows.

GW: Do you have any standout memories from any of the cities you’re heading back to on this tour?

DK: It’s hard for me to remember the specific venues, which is why it will be fun for me to go back round and relive it all again, but I definitely have great memories of playing in Scotland for the first time, and Ireland, and Bristol…there were always great, huge crowds, and we enjoyed an occasional drink on stage which was different for us.

GW: You’ve taken the decision to step away from touring with The Killers, something that many musicians feel puts a strain on their mental and physical health, would you say that going solo has given you more creative inspiration, and would you recommend it to other musicians in bands who feel burnt out and creatively stuck?

DK: It’s a hard decision. I don’t necessarily recommend it - I think every musician’s situation is probably slightly different. If they can comfortably make music at the same time and still be in their band, that’s probably what they should do, and hopefully their band members support them doing a side project, because if I didn’t make this music, it was never going to get made. I really wanted to finish these songs, and it was just what the doctor ordered. I didn’t know how much I needed it until I started recording, and it was so fulfilling to finish these songs and not have anyone saying ‘no’ in the room, and I loved having the control and the ability to finish a song. I can show some ideas to my band members, but I can’t make them like my ideas - its not something I really have the energy to fight about either. If they don’t like it that’s fine, I can now use it on my own thing.

GW: What has been the best thing about your newfound flexibility from going solo?

DK: Just making music at home, and releasing it whenever I want. This was my first release that I probably waited longer than I should have to release my first album, but now that I’ve got a taste for it I’d like to keep doing it. I don’t know when my next release will be, probably next year, but there’ll be a time where I start releasing music a lot quicker. It’s kind of a weird era - I’ve noticed some bands putting out just one song, and then other bands go straight in with a full album, and I think a lot of people are struggling to know what the best way is. I’m really in a position where I can just do whatever I want, and that’s really fun for me - maybe I’ll put out one song, maybe I’ll put out an EP, maybe I’ll do both and an album. Always keep stuff new, even if it’s just one song - I look forward to doing stuff like that in the future.

GW: Do you think your new solo work will evolve over time?

DK: I’ve said I wished that I’d released a solo record ten years ago, and I’m sure that my sound now has changed from the sort of stuff I’d have released then. It will be interesting for me to see, I don’t think about these sort of things as much as people think, it’s the same for other bands I think - we just go into the studio and start creating, and it kind of just happens naturally. All my influences are in there and they start to pop out, and I do take it as a song-by-song approach, so one song can sound completely different to another.

GW: Have your influences changed much over the past couple of years and since you’ve decided to go solo, have you explored different genres?

DK: I think they’re pretty much the same, except for the fact that obviously new stuff is coming out and I continue to listen to new bands such as Arcade Fire’s last album, or St Vincent, or The Struts, so I’ll listen to that and then I’ll listen to older bands that I like too.

GW: Thanks Dave!