The Black Keys' twelfth studio album, Ohio Players—a title inspired by the legendary Dayton, Ohio, funk band of the same name—features several collaborations between band mates Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney with various friends and colleagues, like Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, Beck, Noel Gallagher, Greg Kurstin, and others. “We had this epiphany: ‘We can call our friends to help us make music,’" Carney says. 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 ... But when it came time to finish the album, it was just Pat and me.”
The Black Keys released their twelfth studio album, Ohio Players, on April 5, 2024, alongside a new music video for the album track “On The Game,” co-written with Noel Gallagher, via Nonesuch/Warner Records.
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.”
You can take a quick look inside the vinyl here:
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by The Black Keys, except tracks 2 and 3 produced by The Black Keys and Dan the Automator; track 14 produced by The Black Keys and Greg Kurstin
Engineered by M. Allen Parker, except tracks 4, 5, and 9 engineered by Liam Watson and M. Allen Parker; track 14 engineered by Greg Kurstin, Julian Burg, Matt Tuggle, and M. Allen Parker
Additional Engineering by Caleb Vanbuskirk, except tracks 4, 5, 9, and 13 by Caleb Vanbuskirk and Trey Keller; track 10 by Caleb Vanbuskirk and Michael “Crazy Mike” Foster
Assistant Engineering by McKinley James, Jonny Ullman, except tracks 1, 5, 7, 12, 13, and 14 by McKinley James, Jonny Ullman, Tyler Zwiep, Franky Fox, Travis Pavur, and Andy Petr
Recorded January 2022–June 2023 at Easy Eye Sound Studio, Nashville, TN; Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA; Toe Rag Studios, Hackney, London, England; No Expectations Studios, Hollywood, CA; Valentine Recording Studios, Burbank, CA; and Ratchet Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Mixed by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, Assisted by Matt Wolach, at SLS Studios UK
Mastered by Howie Weinberg and Will Borza at Howie Weinberg Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Sequenced by David Bither
Written by Dan Auerbach (1–6, 8–15), Patrick Carney (1–6, 8–15), Beck Hansen (1–3, 10, 11, 13, 14), Daniel Nakamura (2, 3), Noel Gallagher (4, 5, 9), Leon Michels (5, 9), Angelo Petraglia (6), Derrick Harris (6), William Bell (7), Booker T. Jones (7), Greg Cartwright (8, 12), Jordan Houston (10), Greg Kurstin (14). Track 2 contains excerpts from “The Devil’s Work” written by Gary Crockett, Dominic Glover, Jason Glover and published by Library Gold (ASCAP). Used by permission. All rights reserved. Track 3 contains excerpts from “Feeling That Vibe” written by Richard Mead and published by Library Gold (ASCAP). Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Beck appears courtesy of Iliad Records and Capitol Records.
Art Direction by Perry Shall, Larry Niehues, and The Black Keys
Front & back cover photography by Larry Niehues
Insert photography by Jim Harrington
Design by Perry Shall
MUSICIANS
Dan Auerbach, vocals (1–14), guitar (1–14), bass (1–7, 9–13), Moog synth (6, 8, 10), Mellotron (6), 808 (6, 10), claps (6, 10), shaker (6), Hammond organ (10), Vocoder (10)
Patrick Carney, drums (1–14), 808 (1–14), claps (1–10, 12–14), guitar (1, 3, 4, 9, 14), Moog synth (1, 6, 9, 10, 13), tambourine (1, 5, 9, 12), Mellotron (2, 5), cowbell (5, 9), shaker (5, 9, 12), synth (12)
Beck Hansen, backing vocals (1–3, 11, 13), celeste (3), feature vocal (10), guitar (10), Acetone organ (10), synth (12), organ (12), acoustic guitar (13)
Tom Bukovac, guitar (1, 3–5, 8, 9, 11, 14), electric guitar (2, 6), acoustic guitar (2)
Ray Jacildo, piano (1–3, 5, 11), Hammond organ (1, 2, 11), Acetone organ (2), Wurlitzer (2, 3), vibraphone (2), glockenspiel (2), string-arp (2), Moog synth (2), harpsichord (6)
Mike Rojas, piano (1, 3–5, 7, 9, 11), Mellotron (1, 2), Moog synth (1), strings (2), vibraphone (9), Wurlitzer (9)
Andy Gabbard, backing vocals (1–6, 8, 10–13), guitar (13)
Sam Bacco, tambourine (1, 2, 5–7, 9, 10, 13), shaker (1–3, 7, 9–11, 13), cowbell (1, 2, 8, 10, 11, 13), conga (1–3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11), clap stack (1, 8), Wheezle (2), bongo (3, 9), bells (3), block (5), chimes (6), wind chimes (7, 13), cymbals (7), skull (10), wind gong (13)
Ray Mason, trumpet (2), trombone (2, 3)
Jake Botts, tenor saxophone (2, 3), baritone saxophone (2, 3)
Dan the Automator, sampling (3)
Chris St. Hilaire, claps (3), backing vocals (8, 12)
Zach Gabbard, backing vocals (3, 8, 12), claps (3)
Leisa Hans, background vocals (3–5, 10, 11, 13, 14)
Ashley Wilcoxson, background vocals (3–5, 10, 11, 13, 14)
Noel Gallagher, background vocals (4, 5, 9), guitar (4, 5)
Leon Michels, tenor saxophone (5, 9, 12), baritone saxophone (5, 9, 12), guitar (5, 9), glockenspiel (5), Mellotron (5), Acetone organ (5, 12), marimba (9), Hammond organ (9), piano (9)
Trey Keller, background vocals (5)
Lil Noid, feature vocal (6)
Angelo Petraglia, electric guitar (6)
Tommy Brenneck, baritone guitar (7), guitar (7)
Kelly Finnegan, Hammond organ (7), background vocals (7)
Matt Combs, strings (7)
Juicy J, feature vocal (10)
Aaron Frazer, background vocals (10)
Greg Kurstin, guitars (14), percussion (14), synthesizers (14), keyboards (14), background vocals (14)
