After a nearly five-year-long hiatus, The Black Keys are back, and they came with a surprise. New music.
On Thursday morning, the band released a brand new single entitled Lo/Hi. It’s The Black Keys’ first original material since the release of their 2014 chart-topping album, Turn Blue. That’s right, March 2019 marks the end of the garage rock duo’s indefinite hiatus.
Their 2010 album, Brothers, essentially put The Black Keys on the map in North America, so the release of another successful album, El Camino (2011) called for an intense touring schedule — one that carried on for four years.
Frontman Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney decided to take a break from each other in 2015 to dabble in producing and focus on their own musical projects altogether. The Lonely Boy rockers’ breakup was continuously rumoured, however, never confirmed.
As revealed by Carney, 38, on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the since-confirmed hiatus was decided after the pair grew tired of their heavy touring schedule.
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For those familiar with The Black Keys, Lo/Hi comes as a return to its classic rock and blues roots embellished with that signature psychedelic sound.
The three-minute-long was recorded in Auerbach’s own Easy Eye Sound studio, which is located in Nashville, Tenn.
Over the last half-decade, the Ohio-born rockers have worked on a number of separate projects. Auerbach started a brand new band under the moniker The Arcs in 2015. He also released his second solo album, Waiting on a Song, in 2017.
Carney managed to produce three individual albums in that time, starting with Tobias Jesso Jr.’s Goon (2015), Karen Elson’s Double Roses (2017) and Michelle Branch’s Hopeless Romantic in 2017.
Branch and Carney began a romantic relationship throughout the recording process and were subsequently engaged that year. They had a child together in 2018.
Carney is also known for composing the theme song for Netflix’s hugely popular animated series, BoJack Horseman. He composed the theme with his late uncle, Ralph Carney — who was known for his work as a saxophonist with Tom Waits.
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Co-written and produced by the duo, Lo/Hi is seemingly reminding many longtime fans across the world why they fell in love with The Black Keys in the first place.
As of this writing, neither Auerbach, 39, nor Carney, have commented on The Black Keys’ sudden return.
It’s expected that the band are currently working on the long-awaited follow-up to Turn Blue.
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Currently, The Black Keys have absolutely no scheduled tour dates, let alone Canadian ones.
Lo/Hi is now available on all major streaming platforms.
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