For The Black Keys there’s always gold on the ceiling, even if it sometimes feels a little out of reach. In 2024, amid poor ticket sales and a split with management, the Ohio nu blues duo cancelled a US tour and instead made this thirteenth album of their near-quarter century together. And a surprisingly vibrant, bright-side kind of album it is too.
The title, and resonant electro-rock title track, outline the philosophy: got to have dark times to appreciate the light. Or, as Dan Auerbach sings early on: ‘The damage is done, it won’t be long till we’re back in the sun.’ And throughout, this album surfs the ups and downs of life’s tides with the undimmed enthusiasm of men shaking themselves off and racing out to catch the next swell.
