Black Country, New Road has released their most anticipated album to date: Forever Howlong. Alongside the commercial successes of other artists from the Brixton area like Geordie Greep and Squid, the album marks a golden era for the Windmill scene. The scene is eclectic and diverse but the sound largely circles experimental rock and post/dance punk styles with usually anglia quirky rhythms and anxious talk delivered lyrics. Bands often take inspiration from crank wave and Louisville sound acts like Slint with a more romantic and optimistic approach.
The elephant in the room for the hottest scene in rock is the departure of one of its most recognizable voices, Isaac Wood. Since then Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw, and Georgia Ellery have taken up the mantle and shred vocals on their last two releases with Ninja Tune records, Live at Bush Hall and Forever Howlong. This lineup shift has also led to a notable shift in sound and topical approach.
The new Black country, New Road pulls from English folk and utilizes fantasy/medieval imagery and instrumentation with underlying narratives and multi-phased tracks. Similar to the 70s progressive rock and Canterbury scenes, the album showcases the band’s mastery of tension and crescendo, using them to build conceptual rock operas like on HMTLD’s 2023 album The Worm. Themes of friendship and adolescence have replaced the mania and edge of their older releases.
I know it’s cliche, but Forever Howlong is certainly a coming-of-age album, or at least explicitly deals with themes of adolescence and uncertainty. The single “Happy Birthday,” for example, is fairly straightforwardly targeted at a sad youth and attempts to remind them to be resilient and have hope, reminding me of the intimate and nurturing nature of McCartney’s “Hey Jude” or Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Airplane Over the Sea.”
To amplify these warm themes present on the album, the band uses unique instrumentation like harpsichords and recorders to achieve this innocent, dreamlike state. Black Country, New Road approaches rock with the same musical virtuosity and sincerity as a prime Charlie Parker, and those who think they’ve heard it all will find something worthwhile within these songs.
A good album is better than the sum of its parts, and that’s the case here. When the singles were released I was honestly worried, considering the poppy nature of their first two singles. However, within the context of the album’s entirety the singles become more coherent and stick the landing.
I assumed the sonic evaluation and abandoning of post-punk elements would be the most polarizing change on this new project, but I’m finding for longtime fans it’s actually the lyrical load and delivery. The album is easily their most lucid and wordy, abandoning the surreal and manic imagery of previous songs for a more coherent narrative approach. Songs like “Socks and Forever Howlong” sound particularly sung in the English music hall tradition. If you consider yourself someone who fancies the topical style of musical theater this may be up your alley.
However, to be blunt, like much musical theater, it is overwhelmingly corny and sentimental. That’s to an extent been a Black Country tradition for a while now but this album gives Glee a run for its money. The vocals rarely make room for the instrumentation to breathe and rarely stays in the pocket or settles on a musical idea. Personally I find the tender piano pop ballads and overpowering optimism inspiring, and what makes this record so moving, but if hearing about the power of love and friendship sounds dopey then this likely isn’t for you.
I can’t resist the vibe on Forever Howlong, more than any of Black Country, New Road’s other projects, that these songs were made to be performed live, and I’m incredibly excited to see them touring near Iowa City this spring. The band’s new sound is a welcome one and cements them as the cream of the current rock crop.
