The Black Keys: No Rain, No Flowers [Album Review]

The Black Keys
No Rain, No Flowers
Easy Eye Sound/Warner Records [2025]

“The Black Keys take the scenic route—smooth, steady, and just gritty enough to keep you hanging on.”

Album Overview: Formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001, The Black Keys—Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney—cut their teeth as a lo-fi blues-rock duo tracking in basements and garages. Over the past two decades, they’ve evolved from raw underground favorites to festival mainstays, blending rock traditions with a modern sheen. No Rain, No Flowers, their 13th studio album, sprang from an unplanned break when their 2024 tour was scrapped. Instead of laying low, they dove into sessions with an eclectic crew—Rick Nowels, Daniel Tashian, Scott Storch, and Desmond Child among them. The result is a polished but relaxed set that leans on genre-hopping and outside voices while still riding the duo’s easy chemistry. It’s safe, it’s smooth, and it spins easy—but part of you wishes they’d kicked the grit back into gear a few more times. After all, at this point in their career they’ve got nothing to lose and nothing to prove.

Musical Style: The record moves through rock’s sturdy backbone with plenty of pop-leaning flourishes. Guitars still drive the engine, but the arrangements feel more like a full-band jam than a stripped-down two-piece brawl. Rhythms pull from classic grooves and modern polish, with hooks aimed squarely at repeat plays.

Evolution of Sound: Early Black Keys records were all sweat, stomp, and scuffed-up blues. In recent years, they’ve ping-ponged between bare-bones riff rock and bigger, more collaborative ventures. No Rain, No Flowers lands in the latter camp—folding in outside perspectives, dialing back the distortion, and cruising into more laid-back, pop-friendly hooks.

Artists with Similar Fire: Think Beck at his most genre-fluid, flipping styles without breaking a sweat. Picture The Rolling Stones in their late-’70s groove era, strutting with polish but still swinging. Add a dash of Spoon’s knack for crisp, clever hooks dressed in sharp production. Fans of Alabama Shakes’ soulful bite or The Arcs’ laid-back swagger might also feel right at home here.

Pivotal Tracks: The title track, “No Rain, No Flowers,” is the album’s mission statement, pushing resilience and perspective over a warm groove. “Babygirl” rides a tight, infectious rhythm boosted by Scott Storch and Daniel Tashian’s production. “Kiss It” and “Man on a Mission” are sharp, hook-first rockers, while “Down to Nothing” taps the Brothers spirit with a wink at jazz phrasing. “On Repeat” is all mellow sway, and “A Little Too High” closes things with a breezy, free-spirited lift-off.

Lyrical Strength: The writing circles themes of setbacks, renewal, and personal growth, framing hardship as fuel for transformation. The title track’s lines hit hardest, carrying a plainspoken optimism that pairs well with the album’s genre-blending backdrop. There’s not a ton of narrative detail, but the directness works—especially in moments like the second verse of “Make You Mine,” where Auerbach admits, “I’ve been alone so fucking long, I’ve cried the tears of a clown”—a line that sums up the album’s emotional core.

Final Groove: No Rain, No Flowers is a comfortable ride from a band that’s learned how to steer smooth and steady. It’s packed with ear-friendly moments and flashes of the chemistry that’s carried them this far, but it plays it safe more often than it should. A few more dives into their raw, basement-born grit would’ve given the record a sharper edge. Still, the ease and polish suggest The Black Keys aren’t slowing down—just taking a scenic detour before deciding which road to tear up next.

THE BLACK KEYS REVIEW HISTORY
Ohio Players (2024) / Dropout Boogie (2022) / Delta Kream (2021) / Let’s Rock (2019) / Turn Blue (2014) / El Camino (2011) / Brothers (2010) / Attack & Release (2008) / Magic Potion (2006)

THE BLACK KEYS RELATED PROJECTS REVIEW HISTORY
Dan Auerbach: Waiting On A Song (2017) / The Arcs: Electrophonic Chronic (2023) / The Arcs: Yours, Dreamily, (2015) / Drummer: Feel Good Together (2009) / Dan Auerbach: Keep It Hid (2009)

THE BLACK KEYS LINKS
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Easy Eye Sound | Warner Records