Boy (The Killers song)

Background and composition

"Boy" was written before the release of the Killers' seventh studio album Pressure Machine (2021) but was omitted due to its differing sound and genre. Frontman Brandon Flowers told Rolling Stone that the song was "the first song written after we had to cancel the Imploding the Mirage tour due to the pandemic." He explained that the lyrics aimed to tell himself and his sons "to not overthink it" and to "look for the 'white arrows' in their lives." At Mad Cool Festival in Spain, Flowers described the track as having "an optimism to it" and being "in the dust, in the gutter, and looking at the stars," written in "more of a new wave vehicle." Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. added that the song was "more polished." The song was written by Flowers and Stuart Price, who had previously co-written several Killers tracks, and was produced by Price and Shawn Everett. It was composed after Flowers returned to his hometown of Nephi, Utah, during the pandemic. Flowers stated that for him, "white arrows are my wife, children, my songs and the stage." The song is in the key of B♭.

Release

The Killers first played "Boy" live at Madrid's Mad Cool Festival on July 7, 2022, after a planned Instagram Live debut was derailed by technical issues; clips from the show were later shared online. It came out as a single on August 5, 2022, and later led off the compilation Rebel Diamonds.

The track, alongside "Your Side of Town," was meant for an eighth studio album scheduled for early 2023, but that project was shelved. Brandon Flowers then mentioned an EP that also never materialized. On Rebel Diamonds, "Boy" includes a lengthened intro, bringing its total time to 3:33.

Reception

Critical response to "Boy" was fairly positive. WERS 88.9 FM described it as a "synthy, echoey soundscape" with a drum build and a "jubilant, ringing guitar riff" marking a dramatic sonic transition. Consequence of Sound likened the song to the "synth-rooted glow" of the band's third album Day & Age. GateCrashers Magazine noted the contrast to Pressure Machine, while NME remarked that the track is "precision-engineered to be belted out with strangers at a stadium tour."

Did You Know?

• The music video shows the band members in a forest watching a figure gallop on a horse along a moonlit beach, with shots of Flowers singing and the band playing on a floating concrete slab.
• The video had 5 million views on YouTube as of September 2025.