logo
The Black Keys Are All Fired Up

The Black Keys Are All Fired Up

Yahoo22-03-2025
Every great rock 'n roll story goes through extreme highs and lows. For every platinum album or Grammy night sweep, disappointment and disaster often awaits right around the corner. The Black Keys experienced a year like that in 2024, with an entire U.S. tour cancelled and an album it was meant to promote, Ohio Players, losing momentum as a result.
Even so, Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney tends to prefer it when things aren't going too well.
More from Spin:
Exclusive: Shudder To Think Eye New Music, More Shows After Surprise Reunion
Lindsay Ell's Top 5 Female Guitarists
Jacob Theriot is Living in a 'Gremlin World'
'When things were going really, really well for us, it was the hardest time, and I think that's typically so for bands,' says Carney. 'When you're flying high, the pressure's high, egos are high – it's a dangerous time. But every band I've liked for the most part, most of their careers were a struggle, whether it's the Velvet Underground or the Stooges or whoever. Ultimately, all that stands at the end of time is the music, you know?'
For the Black Keys, 2025 will be the year this multiplatinum, Grammy-winning duo works to reclaim their place as popular creators of explosive rock and blues with a new album, No Rain, No Flowers, and international tour. Another sign of their renewed purpose is today's release of the single 'Babygirl' on Easy Eye Sound/Warner Records.
The track is bristling, hook-filled and romantic rock, with dramatic piano melodies from acclaimed producer Scott Storch, known for his records with a long list of hitmakers, from Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake to Dr. Dre and the Roots. And singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach purrs the breathless opening lyrics: 'Babygirl, you came along and then you opened my eyes/Babygirl, you make me stronger than I realize.'
The song was co-written by the band with Storch and Daniel Tashian, known for his work with Kacey Musgraves, co-writing and co-producing her 2018 Grammy-winning album Golden Hour. On the track, Storch performs on piano and Moog bass.
'He'd always been kind of a hero of ours,' says Auerbach. 'We used to [obsessively watch] his videos on YouTube playing all his parts from his productions on piano. He showed up and he was so excited to be in the studio because it's filled with keyboards here. He said he'd never really recorded with real instruments before—like harpsichords, vibes, tack pianos and stuff. So he was like a kid in a candy shop. We hit it off, man, and we had a lot of fun.'
Longtime musical partners Auerbach and Carney, who formed the Black Keys in 2001 in Akron, Ohio, are on the phone from the guitarist's Easy Eye Sound studio and label in Nashville. The duo is in the late stages of completing the album, aiming for a final 12 songs.
'We worked really hard on this album, maybe even more so than we did on Ohio Players,' says Carney. 'I think it's representative of all kinds of stuff that we're into. It's a fun listen.'
The new single follows the release of 'The Night Before,' a groove-based rock tune and the first clue that the Black Keys had been working up a new album of songs. It was also co-written with Tashian, who Carney first met after moving to Nashville 15 years ago at a party with Harmony Korine and David Berman, of the Silver Jews. The album's first single emerged as Carney, Auerbach and Tashian played drums, guitar and bass in a circle at Easy Eye.
'It came together so quickly that we overlooked it,' says Auerbach. 'When we were playing the songs we had for people, it was the very last one we played to the record label. As soon as we played it, everyone unanimously said that should be the first single.'
The new music amounts to some positive fallout surrounding the release of Ohio Players and the canceled tour. 'We put a lot of time into the album, and then it came out and some bullshit happened and we had to pivot,' says Carney. 'So we pivoted to where we feel most comfortable, which is back in the studio—make more music and just do it again.'
Auerbach adds, 'Ultimately, the reason why we have new music is because we weren't able to tour. The tour getting canceled definitely fired our creativity up. It was our way to get through that.'
The title of No Rain, No Flowers is an indication of the duo's state of mind, taking charge following a bumpy year. And it comes much quicker than most fans might have expected, but the Keys see the release schedule as a return to their DIY roots, which began by recording their raw 2002 debut The Big Come Up in Auerbach's basement. Carney insists the band has always sought to retain that same hands-on approach ever since. Only more so now.
'Music is designed to be made and released quickly. I don't think it benefits from sitting on shit for like Chinese Democracy-level. No one's ever benefited from taking three years to make a fucking album,' Carney says with a laugh. 'When we first started, we were making a record a year. That's how often a healthy band should be putting out records.'
The Black Keys begin their first proper U.S. tour in three years, trading the arenas that were planned for last year's aborted tour for amphitheaters and theaters, which happen to be some of the best spaces for music in the U.S. (Red Rocks near Denver, and L.A.'s Greek Theatre). The No Rain, No Flowers Tour begins May 23rd in Oklahoma.
'The fact we didn't get to tour last year, we hated it,' says Carney. 'It sucks for us, sucks for the fans. Also, the circumstances were bullshit. But at the end of the day, we did get to make another album. And it's something that we're proud of, and that will be a document that will exist long after we're gone.'
Aside from the tour, Auerbach and Carney continue to host their frequent 'Record Hangs,' where the musicians get into a small club and spin their favorite pop, soul and rock records from the Sixties, Seventies and beyond. They've taken these all-vinyl nights to different cities around the world, but are currently spinning close to home in Nashville. Their next two monthly Record Hangs are March 22 and April 19 at Flamingo Cocktail Club.
The DJ sets include a spontaneous playlist that mixes classic hits from the past with the gorgeously obscure, from Al Green and Sam Cooke to the Hombres and Devo's twitchy version of the Rolling Stones' '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.' The events unfold in intimate settings, with the turntables very close to the fans dancing all around them, a much different scene than the big rooms the Black Keys typically perform in.
'It's all about loving music and discovering records and dancing,' Auerbach explains. 'It's kind of why we started playing music in the first place. It's really amazing to be able to share that with fans. It's been really nice. We've met some great people.'
There is also a real connection between those old 45s and the music they're making now.
'We're learning a lot from spinning records, and seeing the audience reaction, feeling it,' says Auerbach. 'You can feel it when you spin the record. You know instantly, once you start playing it in the room, if it's working or not. And it's just been very interesting. And not all songs that we record have to be like Record Hang songs. We still like album tracks, too.'
Carney adds, 'I do think it is interesting when you're playing a song in front of a room full of people, if there's any kind of waste of time in that song, it becomes something you might not play again. That comes to mind when we're working [on Black Keys songs].'
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

S.F.'s Moscone Center books giant act for venue's first-ever concert
S.F.'s Moscone Center books giant act for venue's first-ever concert

San Francisco Chronicle​

time4 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

S.F.'s Moscone Center books giant act for venue's first-ever concert

The Moscone Center, San Francisco's largest convention and exhibition complex, has booked its first-ever concert. Home of large events like Salesforce's annual Dreamforce conference, the downtown venue is set to host electronic dance music giant Fisher on Dec. 19. House music DJs Chris Lorenzo and Partiboi69 will join as supporting acts. The Australian music producer, whose full name is Paul Nicholas Fisher, announced the launch event on Instagram, sharing a carousel of photos and videos teasing the show on Friday, July 25. One clip shows a cardboard cutout of Fisher behind a turntable at the Moscone Center, zooming out to highlight the vastness of the space. A few slides later, a fan snaps a photo with the cutout, which was placed on the lawn of a San Francisco park as part of a promotional campaign. Another states 'AI doesn't know how to party' above a photo of the DJ's grinning face. Ticket presales start at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1, and general on sale begins at 2 p.m. the same day. Fisher also announced in his recent post that he is giving away 10 tickets to the show. Fans must tag three friends in the comment section to qualify, and winners will be selected next week. The producer's upcoming Moscone Center performance marks a stark change in programming for the venue, which consists of three main buildings spanning more than 2 million square feet. Fisher's concert is slated for the Moscone South building, which features roughly 260,000 square feet of exhibit space. The buildings are best known for hosting large events such as Salesforce's annual Dreamforce conference and the Game Developers Conference. Fisher first rose to global fame as part of the DJ duo Cut Snake, and released his first solo single, 'Ya Kidding,' in 2017. The Grammy nominee has since released two EPs and is signed to San Francisco-based electronic music label Dirtybird. He has performed in the Bay Area on several occasions in recent years, including at San Jose City Hall in March, at last year's Portola Festival and at Outside Lands 2023.

Taylor Swift's supportive Travis Kelce post ended in 1 perfect emoji
Taylor Swift's supportive Travis Kelce post ended in 1 perfect emoji

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Taylor Swift's supportive Travis Kelce post ended in 1 perfect emoji

📷 | Taylor Swift showing support for Happy Gilmore 2'Happy Gilmore 2 had me cackling and cheering the whole movie! An absolute must watch, 13/10, go watch it on @/netflix as soon as humanly possible 🍯' Happy Gilmore 2 and all its cameos hit Netflix on Friday, finally giving fans a sequel to 1996's iconic comedy. The Adam Sandler-led movie has a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes from the audience, but there's one big-name fan of the golf-based comedy. Pop star Taylor Swift -- who does not make a cameo -- took to her Instagram on Friday to post a rave review to her story. "Happy Gilmore 2 had me cackling and cheering the whole movie!" the 14-time Grammy winner posted. "An absolute must watch, 13/10, go watch it on @netflix as soon as humanly possible." She even included a honey pot emoji, a direct reference to one scene in the movie. Why that scene, you ask? Swift's boyfriend of two years, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, had a small cameo in the movie. He played a waiter that had a couple scenes with both Sandler and Bad Bunny, the latter of which may have doused him with honey at some point. Travis Kelce Honey scene with Benito Sandler is a big fan of Swift and Kelce, having recently praised the couple during the Happy Gilmore 2 press tour. This is the second time in as many days that the couple has shared the other on their social channels as Kelce heavily featured Taylor Swift for the first time in an Instagram and Facebook photo dump on Thursday.

Rachel Zegler Is Set to Return to 'Evita' After Leaving Mid-Show
Rachel Zegler Is Set to Return to 'Evita' After Leaving Mid-Show

Cosmopolitan

time4 hours ago

  • Cosmopolitan

Rachel Zegler Is Set to Return to 'Evita' After Leaving Mid-Show

Rachel Zegler's gig as the titular character in Jamie Lloyd's revival of Evita at the London Palladium has been all over our social feeds thanks to her stunning performances, but she made headlines for a different reason during her latest show. On July 24, the Cosmopolitan cover girl suddenly exited the stage mid-show as she had fallen ill. According to People, Rachel's departure was announced during intermission, and her understudy, Bella Brown, stepped into the role despite appearing as Perón's Mistress earlier in the night. After a 45-minute intermission, Bella transformed into Evita just in time for the Tony-winning musical's second act. A source in the audience told E! News, 'The interval lasted almost 40 to 45 minutes and then the balcony scene with Bella began. You would have thought the roof was going to cave in from the applause. Even more so when she entered on stage for the first time after the balcony scene.' She opened with the iconic number, 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina,' marking her second time playing Eva Perón after she made her debut on July 14. In this production, Jamie Lloyd and Andrew Lloyd Webber pulled a page from his Sunset Blvd. book and takes the performance outdoors. At this point in the show, Eva sings to a crowd of Argentinians from the balcony of the Presidential Palace, which is actually the London Palladium's balcony IRL. Since Evita's opening night on July 1, the general public has swarmed the outside of the venue on Argyll Street to catch a glimpse of the stars in action. After Bella carried the rest of the show in Rachel's absence, she received a standing ovation that lasted nearly five minutes, and according to fans on social media, the cast had bowed 10 separate times during the curtain call. She expressed her appreciation for the cast, crew, and crowd with a series of Instagram Stories following the performance. 'Today really showed just how important swings and covers are within this industry,' the actress later wrote in an Instagram Story. 'They are pillars of a show!! A proud day to be at Evita.' In a separate post, she added, 'What a lucky audience getting to see both myself and MY ANGEL REG ZEG!!' While we hope Rachel has a speedy recovery, her rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that she is scheduled to return and perform Friday evening.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store