The Black Keys’ thirteenth studio album ‘No Rain, No Flowers’ finds Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney taking a massive musical detour. The bulk of the material finds the duo in a light mood, from a musical perspective. There are a few recognisable guitar lines along the way; a familiar sounding musical hook or two, but in the main, the album stands as their grand adult pop-rock opus. Part of this shift will be, no doubt, due to enlisting pop producer Rick Nowels for both musical and technical duties, along with other collaborators from outside of the garage rock and blues field. This isn’t a move that’s likely to please some of their hardcore fans, but it could win them new supporters on this leg of their already long journey since, although very little of ‘No Rain’ sounds like classic Black Keys – at least on the surface – its songs are brilliantly arranged, and some of the “poppier” elements show off a great finesse.

The title cut kicks off this almost filler-free long player by proudly flaunting the band’s pop credentials, on a mid tempo number that makes a huge feature of harmony vocals, keyboard washes and pumping basslines. A co-write with Nowels (best known to most for his work with Belinda Carlisle in the 80s, Madonna and The New Radicals in the 90s, and frequent collaborations with Lana Del Ray), it’s possible to hear the songwriter-producer’s DNA all over the track, and the way his brand of pop flows effortlessly beneath Auerbach’s reverbed guitar – dropping in with an intermittent but punchy musical hook – feels very natural. Three listens in, and this starts to sound like something that deserves to be a radio staple, before ‘The Night Before’ increases the tempo and adds a little more fuzz, but clings onto a strong pop-rock heart. On this busier workout, Carney gets the chance to drop into a very percussive performance, and that, combined with several layers of guitar – a bluesy noodle, and a fairly distorted riff float above a great groove – help this to sound a little more like The Black Keys most will be familiar with. Again, though, there’s a greater concession to all things poppy within the songwriting itself, not least of all the repetitive hook, which although attractively bouncy, does not aim to challenge. This in itself actually seems to benefit the track, and it wouldn’t be a great leap of the imagination to hear this recorded in an even brighter sounding version by co-writer Daniel Tashian’s band The Silver Seas.

One of the album’s stand out tracks, ‘Down To Nothing’ presents a perfect blend of soul and blues, sounding like a companion piece to the title track from the Keys’ ‘Turn Blue’, complete with the same slow groove and echoing guitar. Any similarity isn’t a bad thing; it has a sophisticated and timeless approach that works brilliantly for the duo and their collaborators here (which includes two members of the Dap Kings and Nashville based singer-songwriter Pat McLaughlin). Throughout these three minutes, Auerbach’s high toned vocal captures the same confident air found on similar Black Keys fare from the past, and his featured guitar solo provides the number with a classic climax. If anything stands out, though, its the presence of a very retro keyboard, occasionally revisiting Richard Wright’s old farfisa tone, and a huge, harmony driven chorus that really allows an old school melody to soar. Retaining the soulful feel but pushing the drums higher into the mix, ‘On Repeat’ occasionally sounds like ‘AM’ era Arctic Monkeys with a bigger groove on the opening verse, before settling for something a little more in line with “pop Black Keys” on the chorus and beyond. Another track co-written with the Dap Kings men, this is home to a superb funk inflected bassline and Booker T styled organ fills, but tipping its hat to Black Keys work from a little further back, it’s Dan’s fuzzy lead guitar work that steals the show. It might not be enough to impress those who still want to hear material like ‘Strange Times’ and ‘I Got Mine’, but its great to hear the band evolving.

Predictably, another Tashian co-write ‘All My Life’ makes a very 70s feel its main feature, but rather than taking a pure pop route, this excellent number centres around a funk bass and big soul-pop groove. With faint echoes of Chic lurking beneath the slightly distorted vocal, it’s almost certainly going to upset those ‘Big Come Up’ and ‘Attack & Release’ fans, but deserves to bring new people to the fold. The chorus is strong enough to make an impression from the first listen – which, on its own merits, makes this a standout despite being a world away from the band’s roots – but the way Auerbach manages to find space within what’s essentially a great pop song for a huge garage rock solo is testament to his self-belief. It shouldn’t work as well as it does, but the arrangement here is so tight, and everyone sounds at the top of their game. By comparison, the blend of garage rock grooves and psychedelic pop that drives ‘A Little Too High’ feels a little flat at first, but a few listens will uncover another gem with an immensely singable hook. Somewhere between late 60s Stones, early 90s Primal Scream (channelling the Stones) and ‘Turn Blue’ era Black Keys, this number’s huge arrangement really shows off the album’s excellent production values.

Best of all, the closing ballad ‘Neon Moon’ pays tribute to a couple of timeless influences. The track’s crisp rhythm guitar, crying steel, harmony vocals and slow tempo immediately summon the ghosts of old Allman Brothers ballads – a style that suits Auerbach’s slightly worn voice more than admirably – and the hazy sound also calls back to a couple of slower tunes from the Stones’ classic ‘Goats Head Soup’. Many listeners are also likely to hear elements of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Thank You’ lurking within the vocal melody, which also helps to give this the feel of a number much older than its years. Moving into the track’s mid section, things get a little louder with the arrival of a rocky riff and a few rousing “na na na’s”, but this is just a ruse, since everything drops back into a mellow vibe very quickly to allow for a mournful lead guitar break. With everything meticulously played, this is one of the band’s most mature numbers this time around. It might play rather like a tribute to the titans of the 70s as opposed to musicians who are keen to forge a new musical path, but it ends ‘No Rain, No Flowers’ very much on a high note.

Even on the rare occasion that this album is in danger of misfiring – the only potential filler, ‘Kiss It’, sounds a little too much like Nowels channelling Tashian and turning in a pop workout that sounds like a hybrid of a couple of the record’s other tracks, hampered by a needlessly repetitive hook – The Black Keys never sound anything less than a hundred percent committed to their commercial leanings. However, if their audience are happy to journey with them, then even ‘No Rain…’s weaker links will offer an enjoyable listen in time; also, regardless of whether the songs are what some fans want, the record’s mix of rock, pop and soul always sounds great. On that score, Nowels proves himself an essential cog in the Black Keys’ slick machine.

Very few rock bands are capable of delivering an out and out masterpiece thirteen albums into their career, but with ‘No Rain, No Flowers’, The Black Keys share a genuinely great record. It’s not perfect – few albums are – but it seeks to offer those possessing a more discerning ear a melodic work that will reward repeated listens. Granted, they’ve released more urgent sounding material in the past, but the bulk of this album has the heart of something that will certainly feel more rewarding in years to come.

August 2025