In the aftermath of Isaac Wood’s departure just days before their breakthrough album Ants From Up There was released in early 2022, Black Country, New Road faced what would have been a band-ending crisis for most groups. Wood’s distinctive speak-sing vocals and vivid, neurotic lyrics were so integral to their sound that continuing without him seemed almost unimaginable. Yet instead of folding, the remaining six members took a bold path forward—they stopped playing the Wood-era songs entirely and began crafting something new.
Forever Howlong, the band’s third studio album, represents not just a recovery but a reinvention. The most immediately noticeable shift is in the vocal department, now shared between bassist Tyler Hyde, violinist Georgia Ellery, and pianist May Kershaw. Their voices—poised, distinctly British, occasionally theatrical—create a completely different emotional landscape than Wood’s nervous intensity.
The instrumental palette has expanded considerably too. Where their earlier work leaned heavily on post-rock tension and release, Forever Howlong embraces a folkier, more bucolic sound. Recorders, banjo, mandolin, and acoustic guitar now take prominent roles alongside the band’s signature saxophone and violin arrangements. The result feels like a deliberate step away from the urban anxieties of their earlier work toward something more pastoral and whimsical.
Opening track “Besties” announces this new direction with a jaunty harpsichord introduction that flows into a deceptively upbeat melody. The song initially presents as a lighthearted celebration of friendship, but beneath the breezy surface lurks something more complex—unrequited love and the pain of maintaining appearances. This emotional double-exposure becomes a recurring theme throughout the album.
“Two Horses” demonstrates the band’s newfound storytelling abilities, with Ellery spinning a tale of a woman travelling through “fancy lands” with her trusty steeds, only for the narrative to take a brutal turn by the song’s end. The music shifts from finger-picked Americana-tinged folk to more expansive arrangements, creating a cinematic quality that makes the story’s dark conclusion all the more affecting.
The album’s most striking moments come when the band fully embraces their new identity rather than trying to recreate past glories. “Salem Sisters” begins as a straightforward indie rock number before morphing into a technically impressive section where the tempo rises and falls with each vocal line. What starts as a song about social anxiety gradually transforms into a surreal witch-burning narrative—territory that would have been unimaginable on their previous records.
“For The Cold Country” serves as the album’s emotional centrepiece, following a knight searching for connection in a cold, medieval world. The song’s structure mirrors its narrative, with the recording quality deliberately shifting from murky to pristine as the protagonist embraces self-discovery. It’s a remarkably ambitious piece both musically and conceptually.
The album isn’t without growing pains. Occasionally, Forever Howlong feels like it’s struggling to marshal its complex arrangements, with some songs meandering rather than building purposefully. The band’s previous work excelled at creating tension through restraint before explosive release; here, they sometimes seem uncertain about when to hold back and when to surge forward.
Yet these moments of uncertainty are balanced by stunning displays of musicianship and compositional ambition. “Nancy Tries To Take The Night” breezes through its six-minute runtime, shifting between gentle acoustic balladry and tempestuous instrumental sections that mirror its protagonist’s inner turmoil. The song builds to what seems like an inevitable crescendo before pulling back at the last moment—a structural choice that perfectly complements its sombre conclusion.
The title track showcases the band’s playful side with its primary school assembly-evoking mass recorder section, while “Mary” brings all three vocalists together over banjo and slide guitar for the album’s most stripped-back moment. These songs reveal a group unafraid to embrace their eccentricities, even at the risk of alienating fans of their earlier work.
What’s most impressive about Forever Howlong is how decisively Black Country, New Road have moved away from being “that band Isaac Wood left” to establish themselves as something entirely different but equally valid. They’ve exchanged urban alienation for medieval fantasy, nervous tension for melodic exploration, and one distinct voice for a democratic approach to songwriting and performance.
The album draws clear influence from British folk and prog traditions—there are echoes of Fairport Convention, early Genesis, and even Joanna Newsom—but these references are incorporated into something uniquely their own. It’s as if the band, freed from the expectations that accompanied Wood’s distinctive style, has allowed themselves to explore the full breadth of their musical interests.
Forever Howlong will likely divide opinion among those who fell in love with the band’s earlier incarnation. It lacks the immediate emotional urgency of Ants From Up There and the experimental edge of For The First Time. But in embracing change rather than trying to replicate what came before, Black Country, New Road have demonstrated remarkable artistic resilience.
Forever Howlong is out now via Ninja Tune.
Photo – Eddie Whelan
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