Entertainment

The Black Keys Heating Up with New Single "Fever"

by Sarah Freymiller

In "Lonely Boy" in their 2011 album, El Camino, the Black Keys sing, "I've got a love that keeps me waiting." Fans may have been feeling this over the last three years, but that's about to change. The Black Keys are set to release a new single, "Fever," on Monday, March 24. What's taken them so long? Guitarist Dan Auerbach, for one, went through a divorce in which he gave up an asset titled "Bob Dylan Hair." That's enough to rattle even the most dedicated of musicians. Auerbach, however, has since bounced back enough to collaborate with Lana Del Ray on her new record, Ultraviolence .

Patrick Carney has also been busy, co-producing the Black Lips' album, Underneath the Rainbow, and both musicians toured with the Flaming Lips. (Apparently they have a thing for lips and the color black.) The two also raked in two Grammys for "Lonely Boy" in 2013, for Best Rock Performance and Best Song, while El Camino garnered Best Rock Album. Needless to say, it has been a busy year for the Black Keys. Hopefully "Fever" will live up to the commercial and critical success of El Camino, but even if it doesn't, here are some reasons to rock out to their songs.

You Can Dance to Them

I can't listen to El Camino without tapping my feet. The beats are perilously catchy, as Auerbach and Carney infuse a stomping White Stripes guitar base with mystically layered vocals and bright instrumentals. Listen to "Dead and Gone" for a prime example. The Black Keys have perfected the swingy "oh" that seems to ring with unrequited passion and complacency in equal measure. Ultimately, their music makes me want to dance in a zippered leather jacket and combat boots.

You Can Drive to Them

Provided that you're not tapping your right foot, El Camino makes for perfect driving music. Indeed, songs like "Gold On the Ceiling" seem to have been created for Guitar Hero enthusiasts and air guitar fanatics. The buzzing makes you feel that your car speakers are shaking, even if you're listening through ear buds. In a real car, or better yet, in an El Camino, the sound becomes a physical blast, and your atoms vibrate to the beat. Pack your car with friends, buckle up, and howl out the windows with delight.

They're a Hotter Flight of the Conchords

Sorry, Bret and Jemaine. You will always be near and dear to my heart, and your facial hair (Bret) is to die for. In "Tighten Up," however, the Black Keys slay me comedically and musically. Whether it's the lip-synching sons, the deadbeat fatherhood, or children swarming the two musicians, the concept behind this Lord-of-the-Flies-esque music video is sheer genius.

Auerbach Had a Beard Before it Was Cool

In an interview with Vulture, Carney recalls that Auerbach has had a beard for quite some time. He also reveals that, when the two started playing together,

[I]t was completely uncool to have a beard — to the point where I thought about bringing it up with him, like, “Maybe you shouldn’t have a beard.”

It's a testament to their tenacity, then, that the Black Keys stuck it out until they reached an era where beards have all but pushed out scarves as neck accessories.

Ultimately, the Black Keys have it all, from catchy tunes to critical success to beards that have weathered the test of time. Look forward to more leather-and-stomping hits, and make sure to catch "Fever" when it comes out this Monday! And if you find yourself going slightly berserk with excitements, just know that "I'll be with you all the way." Hopefully we will not find ourselves "Dead and Gone," but rather, alive and dancing to the next great rock anthem.