Black country, New Road reject any frontman
A refined ensemble with technique to sell, a Naif group of friends who reject the idea of having a leadera year -end essay with moments of slight embarrassment on cleaning and on the agreement of tools on stage, a band with a punk soul that refuses the scores: The black country, new road are all this, blended together. We described them exactly like this when we saw them live in the summer of 2023. They will release their new album “Forever Howlong”, released on April 4 on Ninja Tune. It is their first studio project since 2022, After “Ants from up there”, which reached the number three position in the UK rankings, giving the band the second disc in the top 5 in just twelve months. A goal that adds to the success of their debut album, “For the first time”, candidate for Mercury Prize.
The gearbox: three female voices
With “Forever Howlong”, the third work of unpublished studio, the band turns again, building everything from scratch. Produced by James Ford (already working with Fontaines DC, Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Blur) “Forever Howlong” shows Black Country, New Road in a new formation in which vocal tasks – and most of the writing – are divided between Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery and May Kershaw. It is yet another turn of a group that refuses the paradigms and written roles. Their name, with an improbable comma to separate the two partsalready tells a lot of the little Orthodox approach that have towards some aspects of art. “Having three girls who sing, has created a new common thread for the album – Ellery says – It is certainly very different from ‘Ants from Up there’, thanks to the female perspective, and the music we have created reflects this too. “Meanwhile, the group has published “Besties”, the first single and opening song of the album, as well as the first of the Black Country, New Road in the studio with the main voice of Georgia Ellery.
The piece is accompanied by a video directed by Rianne Whitealready rewarded for the direction, production and assembly of “Lord” of Young Fathers, and known for his works with artists such as Aurora, Kae Tempest and Lola Young. The band’s ability to adapt to changes arises not only from their strong friendship, but also from the talent, versatility and long -shared path as musicians. With a mix of classical training and self -taught approach, the group began to be noticed at the end of the 2010, performing regularly at the Windmill in Brixton together with friends and colleagues such as Squid and Black Midi. “Forever Howlong” is looming like an ambitious album with attention to the smallest details, which ranges from folk to prog, passing through the baroque pop and alt-rock accents. Among the influences there are references to Joanna Newsom, Randy Newman, Fiona Apple and Janis Ian. Despite being varied and expansive, he wants to maintain strong cohesion and intensity, intertwining three distinct voices and styles in a new, unique sound language.
Arrival in Italy
As previously happened for other albums, also for “Forever Howlong” the Black Country, New Road tested some songs live during the concerts. In 2024, the band recorded several sold outs in the United States and performed in festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, Primavera, Green Man and Pitchfork London. Thanks to the shares of the fans and the continuous evolution, these songs have taken shape directly on the stage, fueled by the enthusiasm of the public. Although I have never followed a classic cycle of tours to promote their albums in the studiothe band continued to grow, moving quickly from one project to another. From June, they will return to tour by stopping in festivals such as Primavera Sound, Paredes de Cora, Lowlands and End of the Road. A complete tour in the United Kingdom and Europe will follow in September and October, with a date in Milan at the General Warehouses on 25 Octoberto then culminate in their greatest concert from Headliner, on October 31st at the Brixton Academy in London.
