Photo by Jim Herrington 

American rock band, The Black Keys have announced their eleventh studio album, Dropout Boogie, which will release on May 13 via Nonesuch Records. They shared the lead single off the LP “Wild Child” with an accompanying music video along with the album announcement. Longtime band collaborator Bryan Schlam directed the video.

“We’ve never really had to work at it. Whenever we’d get together, we’d just make music, you know? We didn’t know what we were going to do, but we’d just do it and it would sound cool. It’s the natural chemistry Pat and I have,” said Dan Auerbach. “Being in a band this long is a testament to that. It was a real gift that we were given. I mean, the odds of being plopped down a block-and-a-half from each other in Akron, Ohio–it just seems crazy.”

Dropout Boogie comes one day before the twentieth anniversary of The Black Keys’ debut album, The Big Come Up and features collaborations with Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound) and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon). Both Petraglia and Cartwright can be heard on “Wild Child.” 

“Living in Nashville and making records here has opened both of our minds to that experience a little bit more,” said Auerbach. “I knew Pat would love working with both of these guys, so we decided we’d give it a shot. It was the first time we’d ever really done that. It was fun as hell. We just sat around a table with acoustic guitars and worked out a song ahead of time.” “The cool thing with Greg is that he wants to approach stuff with a story in mind — there’s a plot, almost,” added the second half of the Black Keys, Patrick Carney.

The album announcement comes hot on the heels of the news that The Black Keys will set off on their first North American tour in three years, starting in July. They’ll be joined by Band of Horses on all dates, Ceramic Animal from July 9-30, Early James from Aug. 24-Sept. 9, and the Velveteers from Oct. 2-18. See the complete list of tour dates below.

The Black Keys’ Dropout Boogie Tour Dates

July 9 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena

July 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre

July 13 – Denver, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre

July 15 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre St. Louis

July 16 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center

July 17 – Chicago, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Tinley Park

July 20 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center

July 22 – Jones Beach, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater 

July 23 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center

July 25 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion

July 27 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion

July 29 – Boston, MA – Xfinity Center

July 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Waterfront Music Pavilion (formerly BB&T Pavilion)

Aug. 24 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre

Aug. 25 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Aug. 27 – Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Aug. 28 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheatre

Aug. 30 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium

Sept. 1 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

Sept. 3 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center

Sept. 6 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage

Sept. 7 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre

Sept. 9 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center

Oct. 2 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Oct. 3 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena

Oct. 5 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre

Oct. 8 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum

Oct. 10 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion

Oct. 13 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP

Oct. 15 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Oct. 17 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX

Oct. 18 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion