"Rubber Factory" is the third studio album by the American rock duo The Black Keys, released on September 7, 2004, by Fat Possum Records. The album was self-produced by the band and recorded in an abandoned tire-manufacturing factory in Akron, Ohio. It received positive reviews and was the first of the band's albums to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching number 143.
The Black Keys recorded their first two albums in drummer Patrick Carney's basement. After their landlord sold the building, they needed a new location for their third album, Rubber Factory. They set up a makeshift studio in a dilapidated tire-manufacturing factory in Akron, Ohio, previously owned by General Tire. The factory, which had been closed since 1982, was rented by the band for $500 per month, and they named their studio "Sentient Sound."
Carney described the factory as "not really ideal" due to its remote location, poor acoustics, and hot, uncomfortable conditions. Despite these challenges, including frequent malfunctions with a mixing console purchased on eBay, the band made the most of their space. The recording sessions extended over nearly five months, and the console was left behind when they completed the album. The factory was demolished in 2010, and its vacant lot appears on the cover of their 2011 single "Lonely Boy."
