Listen to The Black Keys’ “cool” and groovy new single ‘The Night Before’
The Black Keys have shared a brand-new single called ‘The Night Before’ – you can listen to it below.
The song is set to appear on the Ohio duo’s 13th studio album ‘No Rain, No Flowers’, which is due for release later this year via Easy Eye Sound/Warner.
Written with the Grammy-winning songwriter Daniel Tashian, the funky and soulful track sees the band (Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney) adopt a more pop-orientated and infectious sound.
In a statement, Auerbach described the single as “so groove-based”. He continued: “The Night Before’ started with a chord progression that Daniel and I came up with and the rest just fell out. It was really collaborative and all came together in about 30 minutes.”
As for the duo’s fresh creative approach this time around, Carney added: “We’ve never really worked with songwriters like that in Nashville. It’s crazy because Daniel was one of the first people I met when I moved to town over a decade ago.
“But we pushed ourselves to bring in some new co-writers, and we really tapped into something cool with Daniel. We’re finishing up the album now and plan to release more tracks leading into the tour.”
‘The Night Before’ is accompanied by a black-and-white official video, directed by Running Bear.
It follows hotel staff causing chaos as they raid a guest’s wardrobe, steal their alcohol and dance their way through the hallways. Meanwhile, The Black Keys deliver a live performance in one of the rooms. Tune in above.
The forthcoming ‘No Rain, No Flowers’ will follow on from the group’s 2024 album, ‘Ohio Players’, and is described as “an especially personal project for The Black Keys”. This comes after the duo were forced to cancel their 2024 North American tour after “an emotional dispute with their former management company”.
A description reads: “Now, with a fresh outlook, the duo have hit reset and crafted their most ambitious and adventurous album yet, braiding together the pair’s sprawling, eclectic musical influences.
“They’ll bring their revitalised energy to their upcoming tour where they’ll pull from their critically acclaimed two-decade deep catalogue.”
The 2025 tour in question will feature three outdoor UK shows this summer, at Millennium Square in Leeds, Castlefield Bowl in Manchester, and Alexandra Palace Park in London. The group will also take to the stage in Europe, and play headline gigs across the US.
For the UK dates, support will come from Miles Kane. You can find any remaining tickets here (UK) and here (US).
In a three-star review of The Black Keys’ ‘Ohio Players’, NME nodded to its guest collaborators, including Noel Gallagher, Beck and Juicy J: “Playing music with your pals isn’t a radical act – it’s what most musicians do and the bedrock of any scene in any city the world over – so given the fanfare the listener might reasonably expect ‘Ohio Players’ to hum along on the star-wattage of its guest list.
“Instead, this is a pretty good Black Keys record that chiefly serves to underline how wedded they are to the fundamentals of their own process.”
Patrick Carney talked to NME in 2023 and recalled The Black Keys’ time working with the “incredible” Gallagher in the studio. “He’s hilarious and super talented,” he said. “We were referring to him as ‘The Chord Lord’ because he’s just a perfectionist with it.”
In other news, the duo have blamed their management for the cancellation of their 2024 tour, while defending their decision to play a Crypto gig.
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Tom Skinner
NME
