The Black Keys Announce 12th Studio Album, Ohio Players

On April 5 via Nonesuch/Warner Records, Ohio blues-revival titans The Black Keys will unveil their 12th studio album, Ohio Players. The record arrives on the heels of the band’s 2022 album, Dropout Boogie, and will feature contributions from Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, Beck, Noel Gallagher, Greg Kurstin and others.

“We had this epiphany: ‘We can call our friends to help us make music.’ It’s funny because we both write songs with other people – Dan all the time [as a solo artist and producer], me when I’m producing a record. That’s what we do,” drummer Patrick Carney explains.

Guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach adds, “No matter who we work with, it never feels like we’re sacrificing who we are. It only feels like it adds some special flavor. We just expanded that palette with people we wanted to work with. We were there to support them and their ideas, to do whatever we could to see that moment flourish. But when it came time to finish the album, it was just Pat and me.”

Inspired by the Dayton, Ohio funk band of the same name, Ohio Players is greatly inspired by the worldwide DJ parties (or “record hangs,” as the band calls them) that the Black Keys were hosting while making the record. Lead single “Beautiful People (Stay High),” co-written by Nakamura and Beck, is out now and you can listen below.