Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong

  by Zena Grieg

published: 8 / 6 / 2025

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Review

London-based Cambridgeshire sextet Black Country, New Road came to prominence with their debut album, Mercury Prize nominated ‘For The First Time’ in 2021. Following the departure in 2022 of their then lead singer Isaac Wood after their acclaimed second album, ‘Ants From Up There’, the band has brought out their third album, 'Forever Howlong' featuring a new line-up, the lead vocals now shared between three women, violinist Georgia Eller, bassist Tyler Hyde and keyboardist May Kershaw. ‘Forever Howlong’ is a colourful mix of more gentle, restrained songs compared to their previous work, the new vocal approach leading to more individualised songs, each coloured by the writer and lead singer’s take. The songs highlight the band’s experimental approach and their imaginative fusion of a rich array of instrumentation. Highlights of the eleven-track collection include: lead single and opening track ‘Besties’; the metaphor-rich ‘The Big1 Spin’; the meandering ‘Two Horses’ with its jazz inflexions; ‘Mary’ with its intricate harmonies by Kershaw, Hyde and Ellery bringing to life a poignant tale of bullying; the epic, expansive ‘For The Cold Country’ with its choral harmony opening and the emotive climax: “We hurtle through the sky/Shredded kite in the trees/The sun’s gone home now/But our hands reach/Clammed together”; bleak, quirky ‘Nancy Tries To Take Back The Night’ with its baroque beat and overtones; and the minimalist title track with its stream-of-consciousness lyrics of encircling mundanity. Displaying an experimental collage of sound, with thoughtful lyrics, ‘Forever Howlong’ is an intriguing next step for this talented band.

Track Listing:-

1 Besties
2 The Big Spin
3 Socks
4 Salem Sisters
5 Two Horses
6 Mary
7 Happy Birthday
8 For the Cold Country
9 Nancy Tries to Take the Night
10 Forever Howlong
11 Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me)

Band Links:-

https://blackcountrynewroad.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BlackCountryN
https://x.com/BCNRband
https://www.instagram.com/blackcountry

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