Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney return with raw, primal blues-rock on their 14th studio album, Peaches!, out May 1
by Paul Cashmere
The Black Keys, the seven-time Grammy-winning American blues-rock duo, are back. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney will release their 14th studio album, Peaches!, on May 1, 2026, a record the pair describe as their most natural collection of songs since their 2002 debut, The Big Come Up.
The album emerges from a profoundly personal period for Auerbach. While his father faced a terminal diagnosis of esophageal cancer, he remained in the singer-guitarist’s Nashville home. “We weren’t making a record. We were just jamming, like this is for us,” Auerbach said in a statement. “Really primal, in a moment when all the nerves were raw, just kinda screaming. We were going through a lot, trying to lift our spirits. I think my dad getting sick made me not give a fuck and just wanna scream for a bit.”
Carney, who has been Auerbach’s oldest and closest friend since childhood, noted the immediacy of the sessions. “Everything was all cut live in one with no separation, including vocals,” he said. “It was a nightmare to mix but we got it sounding raw and filthy.” The result is a deliberately stripped-back, live-in-the-room intensity, a return to the garage and blues roots that first defined the duo in Akron, Ohio, in 2001.
Peaches! spans ten tracks, including the lead single “You Got To Lose,” a cover of George Thorogood and the Destroyers, which debuted alongside a video directed by E.J. McLeavey-Fisher.
The full tracklisting is:
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire
Stop Arguing Over Me
Who’s Been Foolin’ You
It’s a Dream
Tomorrow Night
You Got To Lose
Tell Me You Love Me
She Does It Right
Fireman Ring the Bell
Nobody But You Baby
Auerbach and Carney’s history as a band is well-documented. Friends since childhood, they began jamming in the mid-1990s and formally formed The Black Keys in 2001 after college dropouts seeking a raw, uncompromising sound. Their first two albums, The Big Come Up (2002) and Thickfreakness (2003), were recorded in Carney’s basement on makeshift equipment, producing a lo-fi blues-rock intensity that would become the foundation of their style.
Success followed steadily. Rubber Factory (2004) introduced the duo to wider acclaim, and collaboration with producer Danger Mouse on Attack & Release (2008) expanded their sonic palette. Commercial breakthrough came with Brothers (2010), featuring the Grammy-winning single “Tighten Up,” and was followed by the arena-ready El Camino (2011) with hits like “Lonely Boy” and “Gold On The Ceiling.”
Subsequent albums, including Turn Blue (2014), Let’s Rock (2019), and Dropout Boogie (2022), saw The Black Keys alternate between introspective blues, psychedelic flourishes, and garage rock grit. Their 2024 release, Ohio Players, and 2025 album, No Rain, No Flowers, reaffirmed their enduring presence in modern rock, blending primal energy with meticulous songwriting.
Auerbach and Carney have also maintained a deep connection to vinyl culture, frequently playing record hang DJ sets and letting their love for analogue sound influence Peaches!. The album’s unvarnished, live recording approach reflects both their musical heritage and a desire to process life’s intense moments through raw performance.
The Black Keys will support Peaches! with a series of live appearances this year, including international festival dates. Fans can expect a mix of new material and classic favourites delivered with the duo’s signature intensity.
Tour Dates:
05/01/26 – New Orleans, LA, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
07/17/26 – St. Paul, MN, Minnesota Yacht Club
08/26/26-08/30/26 – Paris, France, Rock en Seine
08/28/26-08/30/26 – Southsea, UK, Victorious Festival
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