Britain's most intrepid experimentalists resurface with a third album that doesn't just fill the void left by their departed frontman – it opens up glorious new dimensions entirely.
The departure of Isaac Wood in 2022 could have been a full stop for
Black Country, New Road. Swimming in critical praise and - unusually for a band of their ilk - not unreasonable amounts of commercial success, they’d found their very specific audience and captured their attention perfectly. Instead, though, it's become a pulsing ellipsis, a pause as the band typed out an unexpected plot twist that nobody saw coming – not least the cast involved.
'Forever Howlong' arrives as both a reassertion and reinvention of what makes BCNR special. The sextet's third album embraces a new vocal triumvirate of bassist Tyler Hyde, violinist Georgia Ellery, and pianist May Kershaw, creating a democratic experiment in shared storytelling. Where Wood's anguished confessionals once dominated, now three distinctive perspectives trade verses and choruses across eleven tracks of baroque oddity and understated brilliance.
This is decidedly not another guy's breakup album - and it’s so much better for it. In place of tear-stained romantic despair that defined 'Ants From Up There' is something altogether more communal – tales of friendship, growth, and the weird emotional landscapes we navigate between twentysomething joy and terror.
Opener '
Besties' announces this new beginning with startling confidence. A harpsichord introduces Ellery's airy vocals as she delivers an ode to friendship that manages to be both charmingly direct and quintessentially BCNR. The song's bright, uplifting demeanour feels almost revolutionary for a band once steeped in literate misery. There are hints of all sorts of influences in there - at times, you can hear Pavement at their oddball, spiralling best - but it’s also something unique and empowering. For those willing to go with them, it’s an evolution to be welcomed, not feared.
