Lo/Hi

"Lo/Hi" is a song by American rock band the Black Keys. It was released as the lead single from their ninth album, Let's Rock, on March 7, 2019. The song topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock, Adult Alternative Songs, Rock Airplay, and Alternative Songs charts in the United States simultaneously, making it the first song ever to do so.[2]

"Lo/Hi"
Single by The Black Keys
from the album "Let's Rock"
ReleasedMarch 7, 2019
Recorded2019
StudioEasy Eye Sound (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Length2:57
LabelNonesuch
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • The Black Keys
The Black Keys singles chronology
"Weight of Love"
(2015)		 "Lo/Hi"
(2019)		 "Eagle Birds"
(2019)
Music video
"Lo/Hi" on YouTube

Background and recording

The single was released on March 7, 2019, making it the first new material by the band in nearly five years.[3] The next day, the song was featured by CBS as the theme for its promotion and coverage of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament along with a video of the Black Keys performing it in an airplane hangar.[4] On March 14, 2019, the band announced a North American tour co-headlining with Modest Mouse.[5]

The song written by band members Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney and was recorded in late 2018 at Easy Eye Sound in Nashville, Tennessee.[6]

Composition

David Paulson, writing for The Tennessean, described "Lo/Hi" as a "a groovy, gritty rock" and "soulful" track. Paulson compared the track's sound to the likes of British glam rock band T. Rex.[7] In a positive review, Althea Legaspi and Ryan Reed, writing for Rolling Stone, called Lo/Hi, as a "scorching, psychedelic" track.[8]

Joshua Bote of NPR described "Lo/Hi" as "rich" and "gospel-style", and said it was a return to their earlier Southern/blues style as opposed to the more funk orientated previous album, Turn Blue. "The Akron, Ohio duo of Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach built its name off chugging, crunchy Southern rock like the type dispensed on "Lo/Hi," so it's a welcome return from the gentler sounds that colored the group's last album, 2014's Turn Blue."[9]

Jillian Mapes, writing for Pitchfork, compared the style of the song to ZZ Top, and offered a more mixed review of the song, praising the background vocals of Leisa Hans and Ashley Wilcoxson, which inject "a welcome texture", but concludes that the track is "wholly unsurprising".[10]

Commercial performance

"Lo/Hi" was the Black Keys' first top-ten song on the Hot Rock Songs chart in nearly seven years, entering at number 34 in its first week before reaching number five the second week. The song collected 2.3 million streams and 8,000 digital downloads in its first week in the United States.[11] The song made history by topping Billboard's Mainstream Rock, Adult Alternative Songs, Rock Airplay, and Alternative Songs charts simultaneously, making it the first time any song has reached number one on all four formats at once.[12]

Personnel

The Black Keys

  • Dan Auerbach – lead vocals, guitars, bass, co-producer
  • Patrick Carney – drums, percussion, co-producer

Additional personnel

  • Leisa Hans – backing vocals
  • Ashley Wilcoxson – backing vocals

Production

  • Tchad Blake – mixing engineer
  • Richard Dodd – mastering engineer
  • M. Allen Parker – engineer
  • Marc Whitmore – engineer

Charts

References
  1. Martoccio, Angie (March 8, 2019). "Song You Need To Know: The Black Keys, 'Lo/Hi'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  2. "The Black Keys Are First Act to Rule All Four Rock Airplay Charts Simultaneously, With 'Lo/Hi'". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  3. Cook-Wilson, Winston (March 7, 2019). "The Black Keys Release 'Lo/Hi,' Their First New Single in Five Years". Spin. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  4. "Black Keys' new song is NCAA March Madness theme". Akron Beacon Journal. March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  5. Gray, Julia (March 14, 2019). "The Black Keys & Modest Mouse Announce 2019 Tour Dates". Stereogum. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  6. Kaye, Ben (March 7, 2019). "The Black Keys return with first song in five years 'Lo/Hi': Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 23, 2019. Written and produced by Auerbach and Carney themselves, the song was recorded at the former's Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee
  7. "The Black Keys return with first new song in 5 years, 'Lo/Hi'". The Tennessean. March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  8. Reed, Ryan; Legaspi, Althea (March 7, 2019). "The Black Keys Return With Scorching New Song 'Lo/Hi'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  9. Bote, Joshua (March 7, 2019). "The Black Keys Return With 'Lo/Hi,' Its First Song In Five Years". NPR. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  10. Mapes, Jillian (March 7, 2019). ""Lo/Hi" by The Black Keys Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  11. Rutherford, Kevin (March 21, 2019). "The Black Keys Return to Hot Rock Songs Chart's Top 10 With 'Lo/Hi'". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  12. "The Black Keys Are First Act to Rule All Four Rock Airplay Charts Simultaneously, With 'Lo/Hi'". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  13. "Ultratop.be – The Black Keys – Lo/Hi" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  14. "Ultratop.be – The Black Keys – Lo/Hi" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  15. "Bolivia General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  16. "The Black Keys Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  17. "The Black Keys Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  18. "The Black Keys Chart History (Hot Rock Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  19. "The Black Keys Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  20. "Adult Alternative Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  21. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  22. "Mainstream Rock Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  23. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  24. "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
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