Black Country, New Road have shared their highly anticipated new record Forever Howlong via Ninja Tune.
Black Country, New Road's members range from a mix of classically trained to self-taught multi-instrumentalists, and the album likewise includes everything from folk to prog to baroque pop. Forever Howlong — the band's first studio album since 2022's Ants from Up There — is an ambitious, meticulously detailed project that maintains the band's unique sound.
"At the beginning, it was very random," vocalist Tyler Hyde spoke to the collaborative process. "We went in a few different directions just to see what we enjoyed and what happened but you soon realize how to chisel a certain sound or direction to sound cohesive."
Following Black Country, New Road's restructuring after bandleader Isaac Wood's departure in 2022, vocal duties on Forever Howlong are spit between Hyde, Georgia Ellery and May Kershaw, their new dynamic previewed by the three singles released ahead the record; Ellery took the lead on the record's first single "Besties," Hyde sings on the follow-up "Happy Birthday," and Kershaw features on "For the Cold Country."
"It created a real through line for the album, having three girls singing," revealed Ellery. "It's definitely very different to Ants From Up There, because of the female perspective — and the music we've made also compliments that."
Hyde, Ellery and Kershaw brought individual songs to the record's rehearsal sessions that soon began a domino effect — each person was inspired by another's songs, and three individual and unique styles began to merge into an intuitive songwriting relationship. Instrumentalist Lewis Evans recalled the creative process as a beautiful thing to watch unfold; "The three of them just started to take more and more inspiration from each other's writing. And you could see their confidence grow."
The English rockers will be supporting the new record with a tour at the end of the month, where they will skip over Canada on the North American leg.
Listen to Forever Howlong below.