Inside their new album, "Let's Rock" – Rolling Stone

On the morning of September 5th, Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach entered Auerbach's studio in Nashville, took their instruments and became the Black Keys again. At the end of the season, they had finished their ninth album, the self-produced "Let's Dance" (Yes, that's really the title) As usual, they created the entire record in the studio, without writing anything in advance and with very little discussion. It had been five years since they had recorded together, but that did not seem to matter at all. "We immediately fell into the trap, really, the first day," says Carney. "We wrote two songs the first day. We're just messing around, and that's what's happening. "

"It's that magic that's happening with Pat and me," says Auerbach, who created a new band, recorded a solo album, and produced at least a dozen projects during the Keys' long break. "It's the same thing that happened when we turned 16 and we started playing, and like magic, it sounds like music. It was really great to have a break and then come back and play with Pat. It was awesome.

Regarding this title: this album is actually rock. Named for the release of Easy Eye Sound / Nonesuch on June 28, the new LP album will have much more visceral punch than the last (atmospheric, 2014, Danger Mouse-helmed Become blue) – AC / DC agreements of the first opus "Shine a Little Light" with the blue punch of Öyster Cult-meets-ZZ Top of "Eagle Birds" with the powerful power of "Get Yourself Together" with "Spirit in the Sky" fuzz of the first single, "Lo / Hi". There is no keyboard on the album, and Auerbach has played most of the live guitar solos; he would simply stop playing rhythm and take the lead.

Auerbach attributes his collaboration with Glenn Schwartz, favorite guitarist of the cult band, for bringing it closer to his original distorto-blues inspirations, thus contributing to the sound of the new album. There are also surprises, such as the combination of an awkward psychedelic riff "Listen to the Flower People" with an energetic groove-rock on "Breaking Down."

The specific inspiration of the name of the album is however a little darker. Auerbach explains that during the recording, they discovered an article in the Tennessee newspaper about the state's first execution of an electric chair in eleven years. The guards asked the convicted murderer Edmund Zagorski if he had anything to say. "Let's go rock," he replied. As a result, the cover image of the album is an electric chair. "Nothing makes you think more about life than about death," Auerbach says with a laugh.

Carney and he are now married fathers in their thirties. It's one of the last commercially viable rock bands born in this century, and it's been a long time since a teenager Greta Van Fleet hangs the 2012 'Black Keys' Rolling stone cover as an inspiration in their rehearsal space. At this stage of the Keys' career, they are not particularly focused on commercial success. "We did not think about the state of music in 2019," says Carney. "It's very complex and it scares me. Are maps important? No. Is making music with Dan important? Yes."

What they wanted was to create an album that they liked, reconnect with each other and then go see their fans on tour. "Four years ago, I certainly would not have been in a place where I wanted to make a record," says Auerbach. "But it was less about making a record than saying," You have to make a record, then shoot for two years. "I'm glad we took the time to calm down and get away from each other for a while, it was really helpful, everything was improved upon our return … I'm excited to play some I am excited to play for the fans and hear some of the old songs again.