Dropout Boogie

For the song by Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, see Safe as Milk.

Dropout Boogie is the eleventh studio album by American rock duo the Black Keys. It was released on May 13, 2022, by Easy Eye Sound and Nonesuch Records. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: the lead single "Wild Child", which was released on March 10, 2022, in conjunction with the album announcement,^[1] and "It Ain't Over", which was released on April 27, 2022.

Dropout Boogie
Studio album by the Black Keys
Released	May 13, 2022 (2022-05-13)
Recorded	June–October 2021
Studio	Easy Eye Sound (Nashville)
Genre	Blues rock, garage rock
Length	33:55
Label	Easy Eye Sound Nonesuch
Producer	The Black Keys
The Black Keys chronology
Delta Kream (2021) Dropout Boogie (2022) Ohio Players (2024)
Singles from Dropout Boogie
"Wild Child" Released: March 10, 2022 "It Ain't Over" Released: April 27, 2022

Dropout Boogie received favorable reviews from music critics and was nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance for lead single "Wild Child" at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.^[2]

Background

Work for Dropout Boogie began in summer of 2021, which initially saw the Black Keys plan ideas for the album as a duo before recruiting multiple musicians to collaborate with them such as Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, the latter a longtime friend of the duo.^[3][4] The album was recorded at Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee.^[5]

Promotion

Singles

The album's lead single "Wild Child" was released on March 10, 2022.^[1] The song topped Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart and would later be used as the theme song for the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble premium live event.^[6] The second single from the album, "It Ain't Over", was released on April 27, 2022.^[7]

US Tour

To promote the album, the Black Keys embarked on the Dropout Boogie Tour, which consisted of 32 dates across the United States with Band of Horses as a supporting act alongside Ceramic Animal, Early James, and the Velveteers as opening acts on select dates.^[8]

European Tour

The Black Keys performing their Dropout Boogie tour at The O2 Arena, June 21, 2023

On December 8, 2022, the band announced a European and UK tour, consisting of seven dates across Europe, with support of Austin rock band Spoon.^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.9/10[10]
Metacritic	73/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
American Songwriter	[13]
DIY	[14]
NME	[15]
Pitchfork	6.0/10[16]
PopMatters	7/10[17]
Rolling Stone	[18]

Upon release, Dropout Boogie received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream publications, the album has a score of 73 based on 12 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[11] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a score of 6.9 based on their assessment of the critical consensus.^[10] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter gave the album four out of five stars, and concluded his review by writing: "Fame, fortune and influence haven't dulled [the band's] initial impulses, something made clear on the hypnotic unvarnished vibe created throughout the superb Dropout Boogie."^[13] Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine also gave the album four out of five stars and noted how the material on the album "feels open and lively in a way" in contrast to the band's most recent work and added that the album as a whole "gives the impression of a jukebox filled with a bunch of excavated gems".^[12]

Joe Goggins of DIY said that the album was "a step forward rather than back for The Black Keys" and had the possibility of being their "most varied record" since their 2011 album El Camino.^[14]

Track listing

Dropout Boogie track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Wild Child"	Dan Auerbach Patrick Carney Angelo Petraglia Greg Cartwright	2:44
2.	"It Ain't Over"	Auerbach Carney Cartwright	3:48
3.	"For the Love of Money"	Auerbach Carney Petraglia	3:31
4.	"Your Team Is Looking Good"	Auerbach Carney	3:05
5.	"Good Love" (featuring Billy F. Gibbons)	Auerbach Carney Billy Gibbons	3:37
6.	"How Long"	Auerbach Carney	3:20
7.	"Burn the Damn Thing Down"	Auerbach Carney	2:57
8.	"Happiness"	Auerbach Carney	3:44
9.	"Baby I'm Coming Home"	Auerbach Carney Cartwright	3:08
10.	"Didn't I Love You"	Auerbach Carney	4:01
Total length:			33:55

Personnel

The Black Keys

• Dan Auerbach – vocals, bass, guitar, production (all tracks); synthesizer (1, 2, 6), Hammond organ (5)
• Patrick Carney – drums, production (all tracks); bass (1), guitar (1, 4), synthesizer (1–3, 6), percussion (2, 3, 5, 9)

Additional musicians

• Andy Gabbard – background vocals (1–3, 5–10), Wurlitzer (1), piano (7), guitar (5, 7)
• Sam Bacco – percussion (1–7, 9, 10)
• Ray Jacildo – Hammond organ (3, 6); harpsichord, piano (6)
• Sierra Ferrell – background vocals (4)
• Billy F Gibbons – featured guitar (5)

Technical

• Greg Calbi – mastering
• Steve Fallone – mastering
• Tchad Blake – mixing, editing
• Tom Elmhirst – mixing, editing
• Caleb VanBuskirk – engineering
• M. Allen Parker – engineering
• Jonny Ullman – engineering assistance
• McKinley James – engineering assistance
• Tyler Zwiep – engineering assistance

Imagery

• Perry Shall – design and layout
• Jim Herrington – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Dropout Boogie

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19]	35
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20]	7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21]	9
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22]	6
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23]	8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24]	7
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[25]	27
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26]	11
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[27]	9
Irish Albums (OCC)[28]	33
Italian Albums (FIMI)[29]	42
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30]	6
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[31]	36
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[32]	5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[33]	3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[34]	18
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35]	6
UK Albums (OCC)[36]	5
US Billboard 200[37]	8
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[38]	2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[39]	2