It’s been three years since Black Country, New Road began brandishing the lyrics: “Look at what we did together, BC, NR friends forever.” It was a fitting slogan of perseverance for the U.K. indie rock band right after the departure of lead vocalist and songwriter, Isaac Wood.
But the band forged forward, releasing their live album, “Live at Bush Hall,” in 2023. It proved Wood’s absence wouldn’t overshadow the talent and spirit of the remaining six members.
After touring extensively, bringing new songs into their setlists and refining them on the road, three years of effort culminated in “Forever Howlong,” the band’s third studio album. While still Black Country, New Road at its core, it’s a defiant step in a new direction.
Bassist Tyler Cryde, pianist May Kershaw and violinist Georgia Ellery split lead vocal duties, lending a mix of different perspectives toward the songwriting. All three take a more narrative and fictitious approach to the lyrics than the band’s previous work.
The album sheds their angsty post-punk and lengthy post-rock tendencies in favor of baroque pop and progressive folk arrangements, citing Joanna Newsom as an influence.
It’s worth mentioning the band’s team-up with producer James Ford, famous for working with artists like Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Jessie Ware and other indie artists. Where the band’s prior work captured their live energy, Ford lends them a more polished studio feel. It complements the pop appeal at the expense of the edge in vocal delivery and the punch of the drums.
Lead single and opener “Besties” is Ellery’s first appearance as main vocalist for the band. Bright harpsichord welcomes you in before an art rock deluge of harmonies from the vocalists, Lewis Evans’ dynamic saxophone, and drums envelopes all else. The track flows between whimsical and intense as Ellery professes an attraction towards a best friend, complicated by both being women.
The title and uplifting nature of the music can obfuscate the pitiable situation, representative of a new subtlety in the songwriting that can easily be missed. Lines like, “I’m a walking TikTok trend” maintain the band’s knack for cheeky pop culture references, while making it harder to spot more serious themes.
Ellery’s intended impression comes across stronger on “Two Horses,” where she sings from the perspective of a lonely wanderer desperate for love. The first half outlines the character’s situation and eventual encounter with a seemingly trustworthy man. Melodious saxophone and flute from Evans, along with acoustic guitar from Luke Mark craft the soft intro, giving a sense of tranquility.
Halfway through, drums kick in as the character’s anxiety spikes and she realizes the man killed her horses. Ellery’s frantic singing and mandolin skills sell the rushing helplessness before uttering a final plea for the river to take her “Down to the waterfall / Won’t come back at all / Just let me fall.” The pacing shift, paired with harmonized vocalizations, is an exciting moment that shows the band’s reluctance to fixate on one idea for too long.
As a vocalist, Cryde tends to be the most expressive and varied of the three. Her emotionally drawn-out singing approach on “Socks” contrasts with the jaunty minimalist piano that often takes lead. It feels like the establishing “I want” song for a protagonist in a musical. The brief surge of electric guitar and other instruments in the middle keep from leaning too far into melodramatics.
Cryde approaches “Salem Sisters,” a progressive pop tune about stake burnings, and “Happy Birthday,” an art rock number about privilege, with more airy and whimsical singing. Call and response moments with Kershaw and Ellery harmonizing only furthers the disconnect while making the songs catchier. The band’s new approach to creating dissonance is more fulfilling than it is disorienting, especially compared to the abrasiveness of their early material.
“Nancy Tries to Take the Night” is Cryde’s highlight, and the darkest story told on the album. She narrates the story of Nancy, a lone pregnant women shamed by society, who is weighing suicide. Drummer Charlie Wayne takes up the banjo, joining Mark and Cryde’s intricately woven latticework of acoustic guitar for a stringed intro.
Cryde’s vocals are tight, offering each word as if it caused her great pain, growing the sense of Nancy’s urgency and despair. The catchy drum and saxophone patterns that emerge later do little to lighten the mood, driving the track towards an inescapable doom. Cryde’s wistfulness reaches an emotional high as she finishes with: “Nancy tried to take the night, but now she’s gone removed from sight.”
The member most influenced by Newsom is certainly Kershaw, who distinguishes herself from the others with her unorthodox arrangements. “The Big Spin” feels like a cute, mini theatric production about a couple and their relationship with gardening. It’s an appreciated respite of optimism, fittingly placed towards the start of the record. The title track, on the other hand, has the other five members playing recorders, rising and falling in synch with Kershaw’s child-like vocals.
Then there’s “For the Cold Country,” a progressive folk epic about a medieval knight searching for meaning. Kershaw trades vocalizations with Cryde and Ellery at the start before the band’s lighter instrumental array joins in. Kershaw sings, “All that I lost is still with me / With the moss we will become the beacon / Which beckons me beyond the cave.” The quest-like imagery captures the knight’s existential aimlessness. Remnants of the band’s post-rock past come through as crescendos rise and fall throughout the first half.
As the knight reaches the precipice of clarity towards the end, storm imagery comes in, signaling a shift in intensity. Then, an embellished post-punk outro closes it out, upheld by a suite of heavy and high-speed instruments. Despite the uncertainty and loss apparent on the album, there’s some happiness to be gleaned from the knight’s ending when Kershaw remarks, “The sun’s gone home now / But our hands reach / Clammed together.”
“Mary” is the only track where all three women sing equally. The acoustic arrangement allows their vocals to merge with and differentiate from one another. The ballad captures the story of a young girl bullied in school and forced to hide its effect on her.
Just as Ellery led the album in, she closes it out with “Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me).” It’s a cutesy finale about love, with some instrumental flourishes that are prettier and more climactic than they are overwhelming and depressing. The bittersweet lines, “I’ve fallen in love with a feeling / Don’t tell me goodbye” are a fitting end to the dazzling record.
“Forever Howlong” makes it clear that Black Country, New Road is not the same band as before, but their ever-changing nature shouldn’t make it much of a surprise. The brighter instrumentation, digestible song structures and deceptively cheery lyrics might give the impression the band has softened.
However, repeated listens reveal their sustained seriousness and intricacy. If this is the starting point for the band’s new sound, one can only imagine what they’ll manage to cook up next.
Rating: 4.75/5