The Black Keys released their highly anticipated 12th studio album, Ohio Players, today, alongside a new music video for the album track “On The Game,” co-written with Noel Gallagher, via Nonesuch/Warner Records. Listen to the album here and watch the new video here.
The music video for “On the Game” further highlights the album’s nature of fun, serving as a check-in on fan-favorite Derrick Tuggle, who was the breakout star of the music video for the band’s 2011 single “Lonely Boy.” Also making a special appearance is skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.
Rolling Stone said of the album, which was inspired by band members Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s recent “record hang” parties, “Whether they set their retro-rock wayback machine to Memphis in the Sixties, the Midwest in the Seventies, or Manchester, England, and L.A. in the Nineties, it all flows together like a beautifully paced DJ set,” calling it “arguably the sharpest collection of songs the Keys have come up with.” Ohio Players is a fresh departure from the band’s previous releases, invoking brand-new influences while still maintaining the signature, well-loved sound they are best known for. With an emphasis on collaboration, the album features contributions from friends and colleagues, including Beck, Noel Gallagher, Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, Greg Kurstin, Juicy J, Lil Noid, and others.
Mojo states that Ohio Players is “the sound of a band rejuvenated,” echoing Carney’s thoughts on the record: “We had this epiphany: ‘We can call our friends to help us make music.’” 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’d never worked harder to make a record,” he continues. “It’s never taken us this long to make an album. We took our time and did it right.”
“What we wanted to accomplish with this record was make something that was fun,” Carney says. “And something that most bands 20 years into their career don’t make, which is an approachable, fun record that is also cool.”
Earlier this week, The Black Keys announced a 2024 North American headline tour in support of the new album. Ahead of this leg of the tour, The Black Keys will also head to Europe to debut their brand-new live show. Tickets for all shows are on-sale now.
Ohio Players – Tracklist:
The Black Keys – 2024 North American Tour
Date City Venue
April 7 Phoenix, AZ Hance Park (NCAA March Madness Music Festival)
April 27^ Manchester, UK Co-Op Arena
April 30^ Cardiff, Wales Utilita Arena
May 3^ Dublin, IE 3Arena
May 5 Amsterdam, NE Ziggo Dome
May 7^ London, UK Brixton Academy
May 8^ London, UK Brixton Academy
May 9^ London, UK Brixton Academy
May 12 Paris, FR Zénith De Paris
May 13 Paris, FR Zénith De Paris
July 6 Chicago, IL Grant Park (NASCAR Street Race)
September 17* Tulsa, OK BOK Center
September 18* Austin, TX Moody Center
September 20 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
September 21* Houston, TX Toyota Center
September 24 Denver, CO Ball Arena
September 26* Phoenix, AZ Footprint Center
September 27* Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
September 28* Palm Desert, CA Acrisure Arena
September 29* Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
October 2 Portland, OR Moda Center
October 3 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
October 10* Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
October 11* Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
October 12* Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
October 13* Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
October 16* Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
October 18* Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
October 19* Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
October 21* Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
October 23 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
October 24* Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
October 26* Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 27* Knoxville, TN Food City Center
October 30* New York, NY Madison Square Garden
November 1 Boston, MA TD Garden
November 2* Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
November 3 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
November 7* Chicago, IL United Center
November 9* Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum
November 10 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
November 12* Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
^ With supporting act Circa Waves
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