This week The Killers came out with their fourth album, “Battle Born.” Reminiscent of ‘80s, Springsteen-esque beats, all in all it’s a sweet surrender to the band’s musical heroes and classic rock.

Brandon Flowers & Co. pay tribute to their Las Vegas roots, given that the record’s title is on the Nevada state flag. It’s evident that they still indulge in ‘80s spawned bands like the Pet Shop Boys and New Romantics, but the star studded producers and co-writers of the album—Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite—point to U2 fandom, having helped the Dublin boys with Joshua Tree. The opening track, “Flesh and Bone,” even begins with a melody comparable to U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

The power ballads, such as “Here With Me” and “Miss Atomic Bomb,” have the kind of lovesick lyrics you might hear playing on the set of an ‘80s movie. “I don’t want your picture/ On my cellphone / I want you here with me.” Sure, it’s not like cell phones were at all relevant to that throwback decade, but I couldn’t help but picture Molly Ringwald in “Pretty in Pink” breaking up with Blane, the rich but sensitive playboy, on the eve of prom night. A little cheesy, but irresistibly so.

It is obvious that The Killers are a very reputable rock band, especially since they have writers for U2 in on the creative process. High and mighty, they believe in their work no matter how simplistically corny some of the lyrics may be.

One of my favorite singles has to be “Runaways.” “Teenage rush, she said / Ain’t we all just runaways /  We got time / But that ain’t much.” Spingsteen seemed to take form, almost as if this track was a continuation of his “Born to Run.” These days pop and rap seem to rule the radio, but “Runaways” took me back to simpler days when I listened to classic rock stations on the radio with my dad in the front seat of his beat-up Ford Explorer.

In my opinion, most pop-rock bands today seem to be preoccupied with worries of the times and trends of music, adapting to what their fan base wants, instead of growing into their own musical mission of sorts. The Killers know who they are and where they are going; the nostalgic power anthems of “Battle Born” communicate that mission.

Yes, the ballads and anthems seem to wane in oomph towards the end but I admire their perseverance. Solid tracks are accompanied by a couple cluttered ones too big for their own good. “Deadlines and Commitments” is meant to thrill and exhilarate. They give Ronnie Vannucci his own drum solo, but the song trips on words and beats.

The nimrod-punk “Rising Tide” screams of a kind of underdog novelty—“You’ll petition, but your access was denied / And you can’t escape the rising of the tide”—but the whole bit about “mystery under the neon light” weakened the nerdy longshot plotline; filler at best.

But, I am glad to hear that The Killers are finally back with a new album. After six years of frequent touring, this Vegas rock band has made a bit of a comeback after their break from the music scene in 2010. Returning after frontman Flowers and drummer Vannucci took on side projects, they have collected themselves to put out album number four.

Classic rock is a dying breed of music, so it’s great to see The Killers taking it mainstream, but keeping it throwback.