Not only did The Black Keys drop a brand new single on Thursday, but they revealed the details on their forthcoming studio album — the first in five years.
That’s right. The garage rock duo is releasing their ninth album Let’s Rock on June 28 through Easy Eye Sound.
Co-founders and sole members, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, made an appearance on Zane Lowe’s “Beats 1” radio show to make the announcement and premiere the album’s second single, Eagle Birds.
Eagle Birds follows the release of the debut single, Lo/Hi — which was released in March.
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The Black Keys’ last album was the critically acclaimed Turn Blue (2014). The unexpected five-year hiatus has left longtime fans of the band anxiously awaiting their return.
When asked what it was like to get back in the studio after half a decade, frontman Auerbach, 39, told Lowe, 45, that “it was easy,” and “just felt right.”
“Man, it was awesome,” he began. “We jumped right in… I think we recorded some songs from the record on the first day we got [back] together.”
“We did,” added Carney, 39.
On songs that didn’t make the cut, Auerbach said, “We just kind of stopped working on stuff that didn’t make it. We pushed it aside and let the cream rise to the top.”
“We wrote 500 songs to get to these ones,” joked Carney, which Lowe further suggested was the reason for the band’s five-year hiatus.
The full Let’s Rock tracklist is available below.
‘Let’s Rock’ tracklisting
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
Those who pre-order Let’s Rock will be sent digital downloads of both Eagle Birds and Lo/Hi.
READ MORE: The Black Keys announce first North American tour in 4 years, with 2 Canadian dates
To support its ninth studio album, The Black Keys will hit the road for an extensive North American tour this fall, including two Canadian dates with Modest Mouse.
Concert tickets, additional details and Let’s Rock pre-orders can be purchased through The Black Keys’ official website.
Eagle Birds is now available on all major streaming platforms.
‘Let’s Rock’ North American tour dates
** Canadian dates are bolded **
Sept. 21 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Life Is Beautiful
Sept. 23 – Denver, Colo. @ Pepsi Center *
Sept. 24 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center *
Sept. 25 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Enterprise Center *
Sept. 27 – Chicago, Ill. @ United Center *
Sept. 28 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center *
Sept. 30 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Quicken Loans Arena *
Oct. 1 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena *
Oct. 2 – Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena *
Oct. 4 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Fiserv Forum #
Oct. 5 – Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena #
Oct. 7 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ PPG Paints Arena #
Oct. 8 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Van Andel Arena #
Oct. 9 – Toronto, Ont. @ Scotiabank Arena #
Oct. 11 – Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden #
Oct. 12 – Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem #
Oct. 14 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Wells Fargo Arena #
Oct. 15 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Barclays Center #
Nov. 5 – Sunrise, Fla. @ BB&T Center ^
Nov. 6 – Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center ^
Nov. 8 – Raleigh, N.C. @ PNC Arena ^
Nov. 9 – Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena ^
Nov. 12 – Houston, Tex. @ Toyota Center ^
Nov. 13 – Austin, Tex. @ Frank Erwin Center ^
Nov. 14 – Fort Worth, Tex. @ Dickies Arena ^
Nov. 16 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Talking Stick Resort Arena ^
Nov. 17 – San Diego, Calif. @ Pechanga Arena ^
Nov. 19 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Forum ^
Nov. 20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ TBA ^
Nov. 22 – Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center ^
Nov. 23 – Tacoma, Wa. @ Tacoma Dome ^
Nov. 24 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Rogers Arena ^
* with Repeat Repeat
# with Jessy Wilson
^ with Shannon & the Clams