The Black Keys

The Black Keys vs. The Machine: Fame, Fury, and a System That Chews You Up

The Black Keys recount their disillusionment with the music industry, a terrain they say “inevitably” exploits. By 2015, they find themselves deep in its machinations—confused, furious, seeking vengeance rather than vindication.

Time, and perhaps some maturity, may have helped cool the fever. Still, the wounds remain fresh, their anger palpable, their narrative an indictment lingering somewhere between personal betrayal and systemic rot.

The Black Keys shrug off trends, plug in amps, and call it a recalibration

Following a career blip that left critics blinking, The Black Keys sidestep reinvention and lean into what they do with weary confidence: gritty guitar riffs, no-frills percussion, and a blues-rock groove stubbornly resistant to trends.

Their new LP runs smooth, neither trying too hard nor phoning it in—a recalibration, not a revolution. It’s the sonic equivalent of worn denim: familiar, functional, and free of delusion about what it isn’t.