Patrick Carney said the Black Keys are preparing an “epic” new album to be released in 2024.
The follow-up to their 11th LP Dropout Boogie, which arrived last year, is the result of experiments that continued once the band had completed that album.
“We just kept working,” Carney told NME in a new interview. “By the end of the year, we had 17 new ideas down and we just kept going.”
The project solidified after Carney and bandmate Dan Auerbach collaborated with Beck in a Nashville studio. “We started writing with him and that was the beginning of what we’re finishing now, an epic album that’s our best record for sure,” he explained. “We’ve known him for 20 years now and he’s the lynchpin in the new evolution of the Black Keys.”
Listeners can expect to hear a number of guest musicians on the record, including Noel Gallagher. “We’re working with a lot of people and the vibe of the record is fun,” Carney said. “It’s reflective of our DJ nights in a way; it’s a big Saturday night party record. We just had people come through the studio and throw a little bit of special sauce at each song. There are just so many different collaborations, but there’s a thread through it, with Dan and I filtering everything. It just feels really fucking amazing.”
Carney also praised Gallagher as “hilarious and super-talented. We were referring to him as ‘the Chord Lord’ because he’s just a perfectionist with it. Dan and I are big fans of him and Liam.”
On the subject of opening their music up to other contributors, Carney reflected: “We used to be pretty insular. We were two friends from Akron who didn’t really take part in any music scene, and we weren’t able to hang out backstage early on in our career, because we had to drive to the next show. Now, we’re thriving because we’re including our friends and being more inclusive. That’s what the vibe is with this record.”
Black Keys Albums Ranked
From lo-fi 8-track recordings to multiplatinum hits, a roundup of every studio LP by the blues-rock duo.