British alternative band Black Country, New Road set a high bar for itself with the triumphant release of its live concert album Live at Bush Hall in early 2023.
Coming off the heels of its lead singer’s departure, the band proved to critics and audiences that it was evolving to new heights, not retreating. That upward trajectory continued on Friday with the release of its new album, Forever Howlong, a stark departure both lyrically and sonically from the group’s 2022 breakout album, Ants From Up There.
The album opens with “Besties,” a catchy, pulsing track that frantically accelerates the harpsichord before throwing listeners into the screaming woodwinds and thrumming drums of the chorus.
It recalls moments from Live at Bush Hall, but the sound is noticeably different from the group’s original mournful, lethargic tone. It also features the first lead vocals by the band’s violinist, Georgia Ellery, giving the track a more impactful place as both the album’s opener and its debut single.
“I know what’s expected of me / Besties, night and day / Remember when I said he shouldn’t treat you that way / And are you sure? / I know I want something more,” Ellery sings, detailing a friendship laced with romantic yearning and uncertainty.
Though relationships remain a longstanding lyrical theme of the group, its new arrangement of collaborative songwriting invites much more perspective on womanhood and queer experiences. This is the first album featuring the group’s three female members — Ellery, keyboardist May Kershaw and bassist Tyler Hyde — as the sole vocalists.
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In yet another departure from its original sound, the album reads more like a compilation of vignettes with overarching themes rather than the chronicle of one, linear relationship. Still, the group’s signature use of complex, layered arrangements and unconventional time signatures remains, shining through on certain tracks.
They shine brightest in sprawling, epic songs like “For the Cold Country” and “Socks,” both structured in multiple movements. These tracks tell emotionally expansive stories without racking up the runtime of 12 or 13 minutes like some of the group’s older songs did. “For the Cold Country” feels like the opus of the album — somewhat of a return to form that also signals new messaging and instrumentation for the band.
“I defend and accuse / And it’s me that brings down / The heavy hammer / The gavel begins to behave on its own / Then my arm turns to wood / Roots wrap round my wrist,” Kershaw sings. The piece builds from a warm, earthy sound before expanding into the band’s traditional chaos, unison hits and rapid violin runs, lending to the ephemeral feel of the song’s ending.
Tracks like “Nancy Tries to Take the Night” and “Mary” probe themes of womanhood and lived experiences. In the former, an adult woman grapples with the question of whether to keep her pregnancy, constantly repeating the phrase, “Do you want it?”
The album also touches on living in the context of the contemporary world.
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“It’s not your fault, we don’t blame you / Wе blame the world you werе born into,” Hyde sings in “Happy Birthday” over a new instrumental layer, a prominent mandolin.
Every song on the album feels bespoke and intentional without ever losing its overarching sound, while still threading the album’s big questions of livelihood and connection. Even in the final song, “Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me),” where Hyde sings about “[falling] in love with a feeling,” each drum hit and melody line lands with purpose.
One question remains for Black Country, New Road — where does it go from here? With Forever Howlong, the band established itself as a darling of the British alternative scene. Now, the challenge lies in pushing the boundaries it has so tactfully set.
