It’s been a couple of weeks since the latest record from the UK’s Black Country, New Road was released. I have had time to sit with it and listen to it again, and again, and again. Like their albums before it, Forever Howlong is a project showcasing the band’s prowess and songwriting skills.
Forever Howlong is the band’s first studio album without previous lead singer Isaac Wood. There was a live record, Live at Bush Hall, but that setlist was never meant to be recorded in a studio; it was only meant to serve as a live concept. Wood had already left the band at that point, and it showcased several members of the band flexing their vocal chops and technical ability. Forever Howlong is the product of what happens when you leave a band out of the studio to percolate for a while. Ants From Up There – the band’s critically acclaimed 2022 album – was Black Country, New Road in their most comfortable and realized. Now that things have shaken up and the roster has changed, you’d think it’d take some time for the band to find their footing. However, Forever Howlong shows that if you truly think that way, you’re dead wrong.
The newly arranged lineup features the girls taking over the vocals on this album. Georgia Ellery, May Kershaw and Tyler Hyde now take center stage and are a stark contrast from the previous two record’s gruff Isaac Wood. Having different singers from track to track keeps things consistently more interesting. I’m also impressed at how different yet cohesive their voices are. Nobody feels out of place, and they all complement each other in a way that Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr were able to. Sometimes, when bands have different vocalists, it can feel like “oh, they got this person to take over because the other guy couldn’t hit the notes.” That is far from the case here. Each vocalist sings the songs they wrote and that is so clear instrumentally and tonally.
Opening the album with “Besties” immediately lets you know that Black Country, New Road is capable of anything. This track is about as different from the band’s prior material as you can get. It’s bright, cheery and carries a jovial vibe that doesn’t let up. This was the first single for the record, and people on various music forums and YouTube comments didn’t know how to take the tonal shift. I was into it immediately, and I’m always happy when my favourite groups evolve. Black Country, New Road has never been afraid to take big swings, and this one is a home run for me. The track fills me with happiness in a way that’s hard to describe. The band has decided to lean into this new sound on the record wholly, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Much of the record seems themed around girlhood, friendships, tight bonds, losing those connections, etc. “Besties” is about having somebody that close and being vulnerable with them to the point where they know all your flaws. It’s a concept that isn’t as often written about in music as it should be. Something so seemingly meandering and typical, yet the delivery on the song is so over-the-top and theatrical. Friendships like the ones described in the song can mean the world to us, so why shouldn’t it sound so dramatic and huge?
The following tracks share the theatrics and drama of the opener, but more so with their odd lyric choices. “The Big Spin” is probably the strangest song on the record, for better or worse. The chorus goes “But I think that the lemons might make a comeback this year / Maybe we’ll get the beets to join us this time around the sun / You fetch the apples, I’ll bake the pie, maybe we’ll all fall out.” The track originally debuted under the name “The Lemons,” and May Kershaw explains that the song’s meaning is difficult to define for personal reasons. “I haven’t thought much about how useful it is to say what the song is actually about… The overall themes are about putting attachment into plants and trees and how they’re doing effects you.” She even said, “God… that was so vague, I’m sorry.” The song’s absurdist lyrics definitely don’t make the meaning any easier to understand, but it’s a cute track.
Then there’s “Socks,” which is essentially a mini-musical, as Tyler plays a character at odds with who they are. They’re not happy with their intelligence, life experiences, age, or anything else. Lyrics like, “Time could tell / That all I know and all I’ve known / Could fit into a little tiny box /
And all of the world would laugh and lose their socks.” The characters see themselves as a laughing stock filled with self-inflicted woes. But even with all these internalized issues, there’s a relationship that this character is trying to maintain, and it clearly means a lot to them. Black Country, New Road is no stranger to implementing fourth-wall-breaking meta lyrics to their songs. Right before the last chorus of the song, the character lets out a “now here comes the chorus!” as the final chorus blasts onto the scene.
“Salem Sisters” is a cute song about the Salem Witch Trials. How many songs focusing on witch trials can be called cute? Well, this is certainly one of them. Tyler takes the verses while May and Georgia take backup vocals on the chorus. There’s some gorgeous, lush instrumentation that takes over in the choral moments, and some plucky strings and piano with understated percussion that populate the rest of the track. This is another one of those songs that just gets me smiling ear-to-ear. I love the progression of the track and how Tyler takes command of this song.
“Two Horses” is another heavy narrative track. Georgia plays a wandering traveller with a pair of horses. She has to deal with bandits who quickly let her go as they realize she has no money to give them. She finds herself in a bar and is met with a James Dean-adjacent-looking guy who is clearly flirting with her. She wonders if he’s the one, and decides to follow her instincts and travel with him. She doesn’t trust him, and she says she’ll check his pockets when he’s asleep, but she is blinded by her attraction to him. The next night, he attacks her and kills both her horses. The song plays out like an old western movie, and the constant ramping up of the instrumental makes it thrilling and hard-hitting. As the man makes his move, the drums and strings go full throttle and make you feel like you’re there for it. In my opinion, this is the most successful of the character-driven tracks on the song. It really sets the stage and ends with a bang. One of the best songs on the record, no doubt.
“Mary” is the most low-key song on the record. It wears its The Roches and Judee Sill influences on its sleeves. The song is about a girl who is afraid of going to school because of how she’s treated. She dreams of missing the train and missing class. There isn’t any happiness to be found in this track, and it’s one of the few songs here that fills me with dread. However, the harmonies are so stunning that they keep the song on my rotation. Anybody who has dealt with bullying at some point has felt the way Mary feels in this number. I think the song is missing a certain Black Country, New Road bite to it, but I also think it references its influences enough sonically in a flattering and gorgeous way.
Thankfully, “Happy Birthday” jumps in with its peppy and upbeat instrumentation. Tyler’s vocals soar over the anthemic strings and percussion. Funnily enough, the song is actually about how having privilege doesn’t bring happiness and people with excessive privilege are the people who are most hated and face harsh realities the most. The lyrics comically juxtapose the ridiculously fun and at times outlandish instrumental. The song is basically saying, “great you’re old enough, the world sucks and everything is fucked. Be grateful!” With lyrics like, “Cheer up child, your world’s not tearing apart / Though you broke its heart / Many people would give an arm and a limb / To live where you live,” – happy birthday indeed.
“For the Cold Country” and “Nancy Tries to Take the Night” are two spectacular back-to-back behemoths. Both tracks tease you with a quieter beginning and slow-burn into the most exciting moments on the album. “For the Cold Country” is a song about a knight who has fought many battles but is looking for a place to take off their armour and get some peace. The song ends with an insane Black Midi/Geordie Greep-esque breakdown of chunky riffs and chugging instrumental passages; slamming drums, squealing saxophones, piercing violin and plinky piano notes. The tension keeps building and building until it finally explodes into catharsis incarnate. It’s incredible.
“Nancy Tries to Take the Night” follows a similar path. Following the wall of sound we just experienced on the previous track, the opening soft guitars feel welcoming and warm. Charlie Wayne, the band’s drummer, puts the sticks away and hops on the banjo for this track and the song “Two Horses.” Seriously, every member of this band is playing a myriad of instruments on this record; it’s very cool. The song transforms into this klezmer adjacent, prog-folk, Genesis-y moment with plucky saxophone played by Lewis Evans, May Kershaw on keys, Luke Mark on guitar and Georgia Ellery on violin. Hearing everyone work in tandem and swap genres and styles mid-song is something that Black Country, New Road does better and more seamlessly than any other band working today. It reminds me of my favourite Black Country, New Road song, “Opus.”
“Forever Howlong,” the record’s penultimate song, feels a little out of place for me. May’s beautiful vocals shine, of course, but I feel the overall pacing of this track meanders just a smidge. The closing moments of the record end with the song “Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me).” This is such a perfect way to end a record like this. It sorta mixes everything we’ve experienced in previous tracks. Georgia sings about walking to a lover’s apartment, texting him to let him know she’s there. When she walks in, she sees the empty apartment has already been sold. She’s now without a partner and seeks to go back to her old flames to feel something. The repeated mantra of “falling in love with a feeling” stabs like a knife, yet the music feels hopeful. Ultimately, she realizes that there is more than just this one relationship, and she knows there are bigger and better things on the horizon. Lyrics like, “I’ve fallеn in love with a seedling / A towering flower that’s grown so incrеdibly high” show that all hope is not lost. She finishes the song with, “I’ve fallen in love / In love with a feeling / To truly believe in / In love with a feeling, oh yeah!” She’s turned this terrible moment into an uplifting example for the future. The song ends with some gorgeous vocalizations and ahhhs as the music fades into nothing, and only her voice persists.
Black Country, New Road is a band unafraid of transformation and growth. “Forever Howlong” is a testament to the group’s songwriting and ability to paint pictures through music. The complex compositions from their previous records are still here in full force. They wear their influences on their sleeve and do them justice in ways few bands can. “Forever Howlong” is a gorgeous achievement and one of the best records you will hear all year.
Favourite songs: Besties, Socks, Salem Sisters, Two Horses, Mary, Happy Birthday, For The Cold Country, Nancy Tries to Take the Night, Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me)
Least favourite songs: The Big Spin, Forever Howlong
9.0
