Regarding the album's release, vocalist Brandon Flowers noted, "This record feels like a great way to clean everything up and move onto the next thing.

"[1] In 2013, during the band's Battle Born World Tour, the Killers began recording new material for a possible single release or new studio album.

"[3] The track "Shot at the Night" was produced by Anthony Gonzalez of French band M83, who had previously supported the Killers on their Day & Age World Tour.

"[1] Stuart Price, who had previously worked with the band on both their third studio album, Day & Age (2008), and on the Battle Born (2012) track, "Miss Atomic Bomb", produced the second of the two new songs, "Just Another Girl".

Flowers noted, "[Stuart Price has] become like my brother now: we work well together, and I'm always impressed with his musicality and his taste.

"[5] Some critics have suggested the band released the album in order to fulfill a contractual obligation.

Flowers' original idea for the album sleeve featured the Hoover Dam and a reservoir of cream.

[7] Direct Hits was announced on September 16, 2013—the 10th anniversary of the band's first UK show, which took place at London's Dublin Castle.

I remember falling on my ass during 'Jenny Was a Friend of Mine', but NME gave the show a positive review, and that really helped to launch us.

This is premature, but the label was going to do it anyway ... so we decided to get involved with the artwork and contribute a couple of songs.

[10] Direct Hits does not include the singles "Bones", "The World We Live In" or "Here With Me", nor does it include b-side compilation promotional singles, "Tranquilize", "Shadowplay" or the popular and critically acclaimed non-single from the band's debut album, Hot Fuss, "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine".

All three of the albums – which are represented by three cuts a piece – sound strong here but what really has lasted are those singles from 2004's Hot Fuss [...] which now seem to capture a particular moment in time and yet also transcend it.

"[12] Writing for Clash, Robin Murray gave the album a positive review, but noted that it was too soon for a career-spanning release: "Charting the long rise of a true pop phenomenon, Direct Hits is almost dragged under by the weight of the band’s success – each song simply feels too fresh, too well known to warrant the archival.