Back together and better than ever: finally, a third Raconteurs album

After more than 10 long years of waiting, fans of the Raconteurs can finally rejoice. Two singles, “Sunday Driver” and “Now That You’re Gone,” were dropped on December 19, 2018, and the band has finally officially confirmed an upcoming album, Help Us Stranger. The Jack White-led supergroup has already made its impact on rock music in the 21st century, and these two new releases give listeners no reason to lower their expectations. “Sunday Driver,” starts a little chaotically (in a good way), before every instrument other than the guitar cuts out, leaving Jack White the liberty to release one of his powerfully commanding riffs. In more ways than one, this song echoes the band’s biggest hit, “Steady as She Goes” — particularly in the way the guitar chords and drums manipulate space together. “Sunday Driver” possesses a lot of the garage rock attitude and spirit that has not been present in some of Jack White’s more recent work, such as Boarding House Reach (2018). There is, however, one big difference between this track and older Raconteurs’ hits. Throughout a decent amount of this single, there is incredible lead guitar that cannot be described in words; it almost sounds like how I would imagine the powering down of some sort of futuristic machine. Just in case that description made no sense and has left you wondering what it actually sounds like, the guitar appears most prevalently at the very end of the song.

The next single, “Now That You’re Gone,” demonstrates a smoother, bluesier sound than “Sunday Driver.” Led by a simple, yet captivating, bassline, as well as brilliantly composed guitar and emotional singing, this track has all the tools to be a modern rock classic. Its simplicity and natural flow are incredible, and I think it may even be one of the best blues tracks of the 21st century. The lead guitar parts were played to perfection and added the vintage Jack White sound to a cleaner overall product than listeners may be used to.

The production value on these two singles also makes me excited for the full album release. It seems as though some of the same perfectly psychedelic construction from Jack White’s Boarding House Reach has found its way into Help Us Stranger — at the very least into “Sunday Driver” and “Now That You’re Gone.” Overall, this upcoming album has potential to be one of 2019’s biggest rock releases — a big accomplishment in a year also expecting albums from Cage the Elephant, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Modest Mouse, and the Black Keys.

Article by Shayan Shirkhodai