(5 / 5)
With the release of their 14th studio “Peaches!”, The Black Keys enter another notable phase in their long career, with a considered return to first principles.
The 10 tracks draw deeply from the duo’s long-standing engagement with blues, soul, and early rock ‘n’ roll idioms. Yet rather than functioning as a retrospective gesture, the record feels immediate and purposeful, rooted in tradition.
The origins are inseparable from the personal circumstances surrounding its creation. Written during a period in which Dan Auerbach was caring for his father following a stroke and a diagnosis of oesophageal cancer, the sessions began less as a formal project than as a means of emotional continuity.
As Dan has noted, the intention was not initially to make a record, but simply “to play”— an instinctive, almost therapeutic act during a time of strain. That context lends “Peaches!” a quiet emotional gravity, even at its most rhythmically buoyant.
This immediacy is reinforced by the recording process. Working with a full band in a shared space and employing minimal overdubs, Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach have produced what is arguably their most unvarnished album in years. Standouts include “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire,” “Who’s Been Foolin’ You,” “She Does It Right,” and the lead single “You Got To Lose,”.
It is also their first self-mixed release since their fourth studio album, 2006’s “Magic Potion”, further underscoring a deliberate return to a more direct, hands-on approach. The result is a sound that privileges presence over precision: amplifier hum, subtle fluctuations in tempo, and the natural interplay between musicians all contributing to a sense of immediacy that resists over-refinement.
At the centre of the record lies Dan Auerbach’s guitar work, which continues to distinguish itself through nuance. His playing is marked by an acute sensitivity to tone and phrasing, each line integrated seamlessly into the rhythmic framework established by Patrick Carney’s drumming. There is a conversational quality to the performances, with space used as expressively as sound. It is a style that reflects a deep understanding of the traditions from which it draws.
The broader aesthetic of “Peaches!” is informed not only by the band’s formative influences, North Mississippi hill country blues, Chicago electric blues and the stripped-back minimalism associated with artists such as The White Stripes, but also by their ongoing engagement with musical history. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s well-documented passion for record collecting, expressed through their intimate “Record Hang” DJ-sets, informs the album’s immersion in vintage soul, blues, and r&b.
This dialogue between past and present extends to the album’s visual identity. Its cover draws inspiration from an iconic image by photographer William Eggleston, while longtime collaborator Michael Carney, Patrick’s brother, returns to oversee the art direction.
Ultimately, “Peaches!” is indicative of mature artistic confidence and affirms a principle that has long underpinned The Black Keys’ work: Evolution need not entail departure from one’s origins. Instead, it can emerge through deepened understanding, and a willingness to return, when necessary, to the elemental act of playing.
- The band will play the Victorious Festival, Southsea in August and then three London shows on 31st August (Eventim Apollo), 1st September (02 Academy Brixton) and 2nd September at the new British Airways Arc Olympia.
By Manja Williams
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’
(3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’
(4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
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