The Killers comment on sexual misconduct investigation & the return of Dave Keuning

The Killers' new album Imploding the Mirage comes out tomorrow (Friday, August 21), and one of the band's members (drummer Ronnie Vannucci) has now spoken for the first time about the sexual misconduct allegations against band and crew members that The Killer's legal team called "unfounded," saying they were "unable to find any corroboration of" after a thorough internal investigation.

The allegations were "a complete surprise" to the band, but "it still made you think about 'Well, what if this were to happen?'," he said to USA Today. "'Is there something to make people feel they've got someone to tell or someplace to go if there was some weirdness in the workplace?' There is no such animal. Yes, there's the cops and there's management, and that should be enough."

"But I like the idea of setting up an independent HR-type situation," he continued, addressing the fact that The Killers' legal team revealed the band would now be setting up an off-site independent HR contact for future tours. "It's important for people to feel safe and heard and valued, so if that's what it has to come to, that's what we'll do."

Vanucci also said that co-founding guitarist Dave Keuning, who sat the new album out, will be returning to the band. "The tides might be changing a little bit for the better. The four horsemen ride again. We'll see what happens. As we get older, priorities change and people need to do life things that don't include playing in a rock band. I totally get that. I think we'll look back and say that was a much-needed respite for everybody."

Frontman Brandon Flowers also said "most of" the new album "is about me and my wife becoming eternal, and the question, 'Can two become one?." You can read more here.