Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong (Album Review)
Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Written by Chris Connor
Photo: Eddie Whelan
When Black Country, New Road burst onto the scene with their debut LP ‘For The First Time’ in 2021 they were already hard to pin down, with their sound blending post-punk, art-rock, chamber-pop and jazz. Quickly following it up with ‘Ants From Up There’ the following year, they threw another curveball by parting ways with vocalist Isaac Wood, leaving need for another recalibration.
‘Forever Howlong’ is the band’s first studio record without Wood and here songwriting and vocal duties are split among several members — violinist Georgia Ellery, bassist Tyler Hyde and keyboard player May Kershaw — without sacrificing the group’s core identity, expansive sound or sense of ambition.
Besties has an off-kilter feel to it, its moody baroque opening segueing into a more stripped-back vocal that brings in some brass. Ellery’s lyrics feel personal, delving into the importance of female friendship in the changeable landscape of your early 20s.
The Big Spin, meanwhile, is driven by piano and vocals, with hints of other instruments breaking through in the background. It maintains the quirky, singular feel of Black Country, New Road’s previous releases while also showing a more streamlined sound.
Socks captures the humour and unpredictability within their approach — it’s almost like a folk-rock song, but then it takes a jazzy detour, going in unexpected and exciting directions. Two Horses continues in a similar vein and, with both tracks over six minutes in length, they offer a more expansive glimpse at the individual talent within the group and also the kaleidoscopic vision pulling them together.
By virtue of the new songwriters and vocalists taking the helm, the approach on ‘Forever Howlong’ is less indebted to post-punk than the first two Black Country New Road records. Even so, there are moments when they indulge a backwards glance. Happy Birthday skews closer to that sound while keeping hold of the feel of this particular collection. For the Cold Country pulls off the same trick, settling into a jazz mode before shifting to a darker post-rock sound. Crucially, these diversions never result in a loss of flow, creating something exhilarating that will reward multiple listens.
There is still a searing sense of ambition at the core of ‘Forever Howlong’, which is a cohesive, unpredictable listen that covers a lot of ground while showing that there is clearly a strong future ahead for this iteration of the collective. Above all else this is another brilliant showcase for the band’s talents — James Ford’s production seems a great fit for virtuoso musicians and songwriters slotting naturally into new roles.
Black Country, New Road Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed April 09 2025 - LEEDS Project House
Fri April 11 2025 - BIRMINGHAM Birmingham Town Hall
Sat April 12 2025 - SOUTHAMPTON Enginerooms
Sun April 13 2025 - NORWICH Epic Studios
Thu September 11 2025 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Fri September 12 2025 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Sat September 13 2025 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Sun September 14 2025 - CORK Cyprus Avenue
Mon September 15 2025 - DUBLIN 3Olympia Theatre
Tue September 16 2025 - DUBLIN 3Olympia Theatre
Thu September 18 2025 - GLASGOW Barrowland Ballroom
Sat September 20 2025 - GATESHEAD Glasshouse
Mon September 22 2025 - BRISTOL Bristol Beacon
Wed September 24 2025 - CAMBRIDGE Corn exchange
Thu October 30 2025 - BRIGHTON Brighton Dome
Fri October 31 2025 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
