“Scared” isn’t a word I thought I’d use to describe an album release, yet it fits perfectly.
When Isaac Wood — lead vocalist, guitarist and the face of indie rock band “Black Country, New Road”— announced he was leaving and that the band would continue making music without him, I was scared. The band’s sophomore album was iconic and took experimental rock to the next level with Wood’s screaming vocals and guitar strums.
Upon announcing a third album, I didn’t believe that alternative rock band ‘Black Country, New Road’ could match its previous album. I considered not even listening to ‘Forever Howlong,’ which was released April 4. However, the album ended up surpassing my expectations. The band ended up announcing that the role of vocals was to be split amongst three of the remaining six band members.
The first track, “Besties,” reminded me of the classic format from years ago, and my hope was renewed that this album could live up to its predecessor. Going into “The Big Spin,” I continued to enjoy the album’s new style, but I didn’t see enough of a shift in emotion — something “Ants From Up There” did perfectly.
The slow anticipation of “Socks” dragged for quite some time, as I expected a loud shift in energy any second, but that was characteristic of Wood — something that needed to be let go of. Instead, the tone shift was mellowed out, which I enjoyed just as much; this became my favorite song on the album. The band showed here that the sextet is still capable of continuing emotion throughout songs, as the energy was kept through the next track: “Salem Sisters.”
“Two Horses” continues and upgrades the slow yet charming feel that this album takes on even though I was expecting a crash of noise to come at any moment. For any long-time fans of their first two albums, this is something that will take getting used to. The album’s pace picks up a bit here, and they do it perfectly with consistent instrumentals carrying the six minute song.
“Mary” seemed the closest to an interlude, but I still enjoyed its shift in emotion in “Happy Birthday,” which had been released earlier this year. The saxophone from Lewis Evans is highlighted in this track, and it reminded me a lot of “Chaos Space Marine,” a song from a previous album.
“Nancy Tries to Take the Night” summarized the entire project — a symbol of moving forward while keeping true to the band’s roots. I thoroughly enjoyed Evans giving one of his best performances on the saxophone and flute. The next song, being titular, masters the overall vibe of the album; I enjoyed the band’s further deliverance into the medieval-sounding themes that enrich the album.
If there’s anything I know about “Black Country, New Road” it’s that the final song of an album is the most important one. Going into the final track with that idea, it became a bit confusing, but I still appreciated the overlay between the three vocalists. The song ties up the rest of the album perfectly and became the most memorable.
“Forever Howlong” demonstrates a pivot in “Black Country, New Road” that I’m not entirely used to, but I can see it being a gateway to the band’s future development. Although splitting up vocals between three members sounds outlandish, Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery and May Kershaw do an amazing job of showing how the band will pave a “new road” going forward.
