The Black Keys - 'Let's Rock'

The Black Keys return with Let's Rock!

Their first album in five years!

The Black Keys' first album in five years, Let's Rock, is out now on Easy Eye Sound / Nonesuch Records! It's a return to the straightforward rock of the band's early days. "When we're together we are The Black Keys, that's where that real magic is," says singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach, "and always has been since we were sixteen."

"The record is like an homage to electric guitar," says drummer Patrick Carney. "We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to."

Pitchfork says Let's Rock "is what (the album) does. "As the band tells it, they burned out, though during their time off Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney both continued making music at their typically relentless clip, just not with each other. Carney produced records for Michelle Branch, Tobias Jesso Jr., Wild Belle, and others, while Auerbach helmed records by the Pretenders and Cage the Elephant and dropped a leisurely solo album.

"For some bands, that time apart might have yielded an epiphany that reshaped their approach. But the Black Keys have never much valued change. They're focused, workmanlike, and committed to what works. As a result, Let's Rock plays exactly like the record they might have rushed out right after Turn Blue." — Pitchfork