The Black Keys have dropped a new single. 5 years since their last release ‘Turn Blue”, this was the longest break as a band for the Nashville based duo with Dan Auerbach releasing albums with his band The Arcs (2015) and his solo album in 2017 meanwhile Patrick has been Producing other artists and even the theme to Netflix’s Bojack Horseman.
“Lo/Hi” (Produced by Dan and Patrick themselves) isn’t an attempt to re invent the wheel, it’s a bluesy, riff heavy, groovy laden track with more than a hint of T Rex about it. The track takes me back to 2011’s international breakthrough album “El Camino”, a time before Brexit, before Trump was in the white house and that can only be a good thing.
Lyrically it paints a story of someone struggling with loneliness, “Nobody to love you, Nobody to care If you die” and drinking to block out where theyve found themselves “Drink ’til you cry and you’re lyin’ in the mess you made” while the chorus could be speaking about the characters struggles with Bi-polar about being as “Lo” as a valley and as “Hi” like a bird in the sky.
There has also been a 31 date North American tour announced with Modest mouse supporting. There have been no whispers about an album yet but surely 2019 will be the year we finally get a new album and a return to UK shores.
It even seems as if war is between the band and former White Stripes and Raconteur’s Jack White is over after his Third Man Records tweeted support for the new single. Maybe we’ll see a future collaboration? I doubt it and we can all dream.
Cover Image by Alysse Gafkjen
