The Black Keys’ ninth studio album, “Let’s Rock,” will be released June 28, 2019 via Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records. The long-awaited album, their first in five years, is a return to the straightforward rock of the singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s early days as a band. Auerbach says, “When we’re together we are The Black Keys, that’s where that real magic is, and always has been since we were sixteen.” The second song from the record, “Eagle Birds,” debuts today; it follows the previously released single “Lo/Hi.” The Black Keys’ thirty-one city North American tour begins September 23.
“Let’s Rock” was written, tracked live, and produced by Auerbach and Carney at Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville and features backing vocals from Leisa Hans and Ashley Wilcoxson. “The record is like a homage to electric guitar,” says Carney. “We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to.”
The “Let’s Rock” Tour will hit cities including Chicago, Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, and Austin (full dates below). Special guests Modest Mouse will provide support on all dates, and Shannon & The Clams, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, *repeat repeat, and Jessy Wilson will each open select shows on the tour. The band also headlines 2019’s Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 21. Tickets for all dates are on sale here.
Rolling Stone named “Lo/Hi” a “Song You Need to Know” and said, “the Keys have officially returned, louder than ever” and the New York Times calls the song “the kind of garage-boogie stomp that the band never left behind.”
Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys have released eight studio albums: their debut The Big Come Up (2002), followed by Thickfreakness (2003) and Rubber Factory (2004), along with their releases on Nonesuch Records, Magic Potion (2006), Attack & Release (2008), Brothers (2010), El Camino (2011), and, most recently, Turn Blue (2014). The band has won six Grammy Awards and headlined festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Governors Ball.
Since their last album together, both Auerbach and Carney have been creative forces behind a number of wide-ranging artists.
Dan Auerbach formed the Easy Eye Sound record label, named after his Nashville studio, in 2017, with the release of his second solo album, Waiting on a Song. Since its launch, Easy Eye Sound has become home to a wide range of artists including Yola, Shannon & The Clams, Dee White, Shannon Shaw, Sonny Smith, Robert Finley, and The Gibson Brothers; it also has released the posthumous album by Leo Bud Welch as well as previously unreleased material by Link Wray.
Patrick Carney has produced and recorded new music with artists such as Calvin Johnson, Michelle Branch, Damns of the West, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Jessy Wilson, Tennis, Repeat Repeat, Wild Belle, Sad Planets, Turbo Fruits, and more. He also created the theme music for the Netflix TV show BoJack Horseman with his late uncle, Ralph Carney.
“Let’s Rock” Track Listing:
1. Shine A Little Light
2. Eagle Birds
3. Lo/Hi
4. Walk Across The Water
5. Tell Me Lies
6. Every Little Thing
7. Get Yourself Together
8. Sit Around And Miss You
9. Go
10. Breaking Down
11. Under The Gun
12. Fire Walk With Me
The Black Keys Tour Dates
Sep 21 /// Las Vegas, NV /// Life Is Beautiful+
Sep 23 /// Denver, CO /// Pepsi Center*
Sep 24 /// Kansas City, MO /// Sprint Center*
Sep 25 /// St. Louis, MO /// Enterprise Center*
Sep 27 /// Chicago, IL /// United Center*
Sep 28 /// Minneapolis, MN /// Target Center*
Sep 30 /// Cleveland, OH /// Quicken Loans Arena*
Oct 01 /// Nashville, TN /// Bridgestone Arena*
Oct 02 /// Columbus, OH /// Nationwide Arena*
Oct 04 /// Milwaukee, WI /// Fiserv Forum#
Oct 05 /// Detroit, MI /// Little Caesars Arena#
Oct 07 /// Pittsburgh, PA /// PPG Paints Arena#
Oct 08 /// Grand Rapids, MI /// Van Andel Arena#
Oct 09 /// Toronto, ON /// Scotiabank Arena#
Oct 11 /// Boston, MA /// TD Garden#
Oct 12 /// Washington, DC /// The Anthem#
Oct 14 /// Philadelphia, PA /// Wells Fargo Arena#
Oct 15 /// Brooklyn, NY /// Barclays Center#
Oct 16 /// Washington, DC /// The Anthem#
Nov 05 /// Sunrise, FL /// BB&T Center^
Nov 06 /// Orlando, FL /// Amway Center^
Nov 08 /// Raleigh, NC /// PNC Arena^
Nov 09 /// Atlanta, GA /// State Farm Arena^
Nov 12 /// Houston, TX /// Toyota Center^
Nov 13 /// Austin, TX /// Frank Erwin Center^
Nov 14 /// Fort Worth, TX /// Dickies Arena^
Nov 16 /// Phoenix, AZ /// Talking Stick Resort Arena^
Nov 17 /// San Diego, CA /// Pechanga Arena^
Nov 19 /// Los Angeles, CA /// The Forum^
Nov 20 /// San Francisco, CA /// TBA^
Nov 22 /// Portland, OR /// Moda Center^
Nov 23 /// Tacoma, WA /// Tacoma Dome^
Nov 24 /// Vancouver, BC /// Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena^
+Festival Date
*w/ Modest Mouse and *repeat repeat
# w/ Modest Mouse and Jessy Wilson
^ w/ Modest Mouse and Shannon & the Clams
