The Black Keys Announce “Let’s Rock,” Release “Eagle Birds”

After signaling their return to the spotlight in March with a new single and tour, The Black Keys are now making it official with the announcement of “Let’s Rock,” their ninth studio album, and their first since 2014’s Turn Blue.

A press release promisingly describes the album, out June 28 on Easy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records, as “a return to the straightforward rock of singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s early days as a band.”

Auerbach reinforces the record’s back-to-basics bent in a statement, saying, “When we’re together we are The Black Keys, that’s where that real magic is, and always has been since we were sixteen,” while Carney adds, “The record is like a homage to electric guitar. We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to.”

Alongside their album announcement, the duo have released “Eagle Birds,” the second advance track from “Let’s Rock” following lead single “Lo/Hi.”

Auerbach and Carney wrote, live-tracked and produced “Let’s Rock” at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, enlisting Leisa Hans and Ashley Wilcoxson to contribute backing vocals.

The Black Keys kick off their 31-city North American tour with a headlining set at the Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas on Sept. 21, then spend October and November hitting arenas all over North America alongside Modest Mouse, Shannon & The Clams, *repeat repeat and Jessy Wilson. (The name of the tour? “Let’s Rock.”)

Their tour itinerary, however, no longer includes a set at Woodstock 50, Woodstock’s 50th anniversary festival set for Aug. 16-18 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. The band canceled their set at the festival in early April, citing an unspecified scheduling conflict.

Listen to “Eagle Birds” and see the details of “Let’s Rock” below, plus the Keys’ tour itinerary further down. You can preorder their new album here and find tour tickets here.

“Let’s Rock” Tracklist:
01. Shine A Little Light
02. Eagle Birds
03. Lo/Hi
04. Walk Across The Water
05. Tell Me Lies
06. Every Little Thing
07. Get Yourself Together
08. Sit Around And Miss You
09. Go
10. Breaking Down
11. Under The Gun
12. Fire Walk With Me

“Let’s Rock” Album Art:

The Black Keys Tour Dates:

September
21 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ Life Is Beautiful +
23 – Denver, Colo. @ Pepsi Center *
24 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center *
25 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Enterprise Center *
27 – Chicago, Ill. @ United Center *
28 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center *
30 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Quicken Loans Arena *

October
01 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena *
02 – Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena *
04 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Fiserv Forum #
05 – Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena #
07 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ PPG Paints Arena #
08 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Van Andel Arena #
09 – Toronto, Ont. @ Scotiabank Arena #
11 – Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden #
12 – Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem #
14 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Wells Fargo Arena #
15 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Barclays Center #
16 – Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem #

November
05 – Sunrise, Fla. @ BB&T Center ^
06 – Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center ^
08 – Raleigh, N.C. @ PNC Arena ^
09 – Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena ^
12 – Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center ^
13 – Austin, Texas @ Frank Erwin Center ^
14 – Fort Worth, Texas @ Dickies Arena ^
16 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Talking Stick Resort Arena ^
17 – San Diego, Calif. @ Pechanga Arena ^
19 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Forum ^
20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ TBA ^
22 – Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center ^
23 – Tacoma, Wash. @ Tacoma Dome ^
24 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena ^

(+ – Festival Date)
(* – w/ Modest Mouse and *repeat repeat)
(# – w/ Modest Mouse and Jessy Wilson)
(^ w/ Modest Mouse and Shannon & the Clams)