The Black Keys Return After Five-Year Hiatus With “Lo/Hi”

Photo: Alysse Gafkjen

The Black Keys are back with their first new music since 2014 with their new song, “Lo/Hi” (Nonesuch Records). The single was written and produced by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, and recorded at Nashville’s Easy Eye Sound studio. It’s the first new single from the duo since their album Turn Blue was released five years ago.

The Black Keys have released eight studio albums throughout their career including their debut The Big Come Up (2002), Thickfreakness (2003), Rubber Factory (2004), and their releases on Nonesuch Records, Magic Potion (2006), Attack & Release (2008), Brothers (2010), El Camino (2011), and Turn Blue (2014). The band has won six Grammy Awards and headlined festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Governors Ball.

The two have been plenty busy since releasing their last album in 2014. Dan Auerbach formed his Easy Eye Sound label, named after his Nashville studio, in 2017, with the release of his second solo album, Waiting on a Song. Since its launch, Easy Eye Sound has become home to a wide range of artists including Yola, Shannon & The Clams, Dee White, Shannon Shaw, Sonny Smith, Robert Finley, and The Gibson Brothers. It also has released the posthumous album by Leo Bud Welch as well as previously unreleased material by Link Wray.

Patrick Carney produced and recorded new music with artists such as Calvin Johnson, Michelle Branch, Damns of the West, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Jessy Wilson, Tennis, Repeat Repeat, Wild Belle, Sad Planets, Turbo Fruits, and more. He also created the theme music for the Netflix TV show BoJack Horseman with his late uncle, Ralph Carney.