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Forever Howlong
2025 studio album by Black Country, New Road From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Forever Howlong is the third studio album by British rock band Black Country, New Road. Released on 4 April 2025 via Ninja Tune, it is their first studio album after the departure of lead vocalist Isaac Wood, with vocal and principal songwriting duties being taken over by members Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery, and May Kershaw. It serves as a follow-up to their critically acclaimed second album, Ants from Up There (2022).
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The album was released to critical acclaim, and was preceded by three singles; "Besties", "Happy Birthday" and "For the Cold Country". Critics described the album as more accessible and uplifting in contrast to their previous albums. A tour in support of the album began on 7 April, and is scheduled to conclude on 31 October.
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Background
Five days before the release of Ants from Up There (2022), frontman Isaac Wood announced his departure from the band.[1] Wood cited his discomfort from writing and performing songs, but stated he was still on good terms with the members of Black Country, New Road.[1] The band refused to play their old material live, feeling that playing it would have been "strange" and "[in]appropriate", and stating it "[wasn't] even an option".[1] To make up for the departure and to fulfill their tour dates, the band rapidly wrote and developed songs to perform live, with all members making contributions.[2] These live tracks were compiled as a part of Live at Bush Hall (2023), which featured a notable shift in lyrics focusing on friendship rather than romance.[3]
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Music
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Production
As work on the album started, the band had no set direction to move in; instead, they randomly went in different directions to see what they enjoyed.[4] Eventually, they decided on a more cohesive sound.[4] During the production of Forever Howlong, the band would gradually develop tracks for a number of years, keeping the longevity of playing them live in mind.[2] The band viewed Live at Bush Hall as a necessary stepping stone, but one that lacked longevity.[2] In an interview, Hyde stated "I just didn't want to hang out with those songs anymore. They ick me out!"[2]
Vocal performances across Forever Howlong were taken up by Hyde, Ellery, and Kershaw. Ellery described the process in a Pitchfork interview as a "healthy competition". Hyde noted the diversity in the three's backgrounds, stating it displayed "a pretty wide spectrum of womanhood".[3] The album was produced by James Ford in an three week period, with Ford working from 10am to 2am daily.[5] Band member Lewis Evans described the new style of lyrics as containing a "pop mentality" which is "catchy and likeable but have a deep-set weirdness". Hyde says that while there are many "tongue-in-cheek moments" in the album, there exist plenty of "darkness within the album as well", explaining that it's much easier to be creatively dark than happy.[6]
The band experimented with new instruments in the album, stating that they learnt the recorder in order to accompany Kershaw's piano compositions.[3] Ellery, whose violin was crushed due to a touring accident before the recording, had added the mandolin to the record and Kershaw experimented with the harpsichord in some of the singles.[6]
Composition and lyrics
Forever Howlong has been described as alternative rock, indie rock, folk, progressive rock and baroque pop.[7][8][9][10] The album's lead single and opener, "Besties", was described as a "sprightly ode to female friendship".[11] It contains a backing track made up of recorders.[12] The band chose the song because of its harpsichord intro, and because they wanted to choose "something loud, something that hits" as the album's opener.[13] The lyrics discuss themes of friendship and unrequited love.[14] "The Big Spin" was one of the last tracks produced for the album, according to Kershaw.[13] She also stated the themes of the song included "putting attachment into plants and trees and how they're doing effects [sic] you".[13] Critic Sophie Flint Vázquez called the song's instrumental "delightfully whimsical".[15] "Socks" discusses "being emotionally overwhelmed by the constant uncertainty provoked by the news".[16] Band member Charlie Wayne has said that it was difficult to write the drums for the song.[13]
"Salem Sisters" contains a piano-pop backing track, with lyrics that compare "struggling to connect at a summer barbecue to burning at the stake".[9] It contains a section where the tempo changes according to each line of the vocals.[16] The song was originally called "24/7", and originally contained vocals from Evans before he decided he no longer wanted to sing on it.[13] "Two Horses" was described as a "folksy, progressive" country song sung by Ellery.[17][12] Its lyrics discuss a woman travelling with two horses, who meets a man at a bar who eventually betrays her and kills her horses.[13][16] The song was the first written by Ellery for Black Country, New Road.[13] "Mary" is the only song on the album to feature all three vocalists at once.[11] It was described as a "60s folk-pop" song.[18] According to Hyde, the song is set in an all-girls school.[13] "Happy Birthday", the second single from the album, is made up of "sumptuous brassy arrangements".[17] The band aimed to make a few "positive rock bangers that would feel great to play" for the album; Hyde stated this was one of them.[13]
"For the Cold Country", the album's last single, was described as a "a Medievalist saga" that contained complex sections and elements of post-rock.[17] Its orchestral crescendo was described as "a feverish jam session caught on fire".[15] One critic noted the "squealing horns" of its outro being reminiscent of Ants from Up There.[11] According to Kershaw, it took two years to write the track, and that it was made from a lot of trial and error.[13] "Nancy Tries to Take the Night" was originally formed during the band's performances at Bush Hall, and was described as a "six-minute-plus epic".[13][11] Its second-person lyrics discuss "forcing oneself into the mold of female social respectability".[12] "Forever Howlong" is a slow-building track made up of only vocals and a recorder choir.[15][7] The track's "meandering" lyrics discuss topics such as "beans, vitamin B, and microbiome pH".[15] Closer "Goodbye (Don't Tell Me)" contains "twiddly guitar parts" and a chorus reminiscent of Britpop.[17] The song was regarded as quite old, and according to Ellery, it "probably would've been on Bush Hall if I'd had the time".[13]
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Release
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Throughout December 2024 and January 2025, teasers for Forever Howlong would appear across Black Country, New Road's mailing list and social media pages.[19] Billboards teasing the album were placed around London, which featured artwork from the album and a date of 4 April 2025.[20] Three of the billboards included a red button that would illuminate a star when pressed.[21]
The first single, "Besties", was released on 30 January after being confirmed through a webpage shown after signing up for the band's mailing list.[19] The song was accompanied by a music video directed by Rianne White.[22] The band also announced a tour in support of the album, originally planned to start on 13 May in Chicago, and concluding on 31 October in London.[23] The second single, "Happy Birthday", was released on 3 March, alongside a stop-motion animation music video directed by Lesley-Anne Rose.[24] More UK tour dates were announced alongside the single, with the tour now commencing on 7 April in Stockport.[25] The third and final single, "For the Cold Country", was released on 26 March 2025.[26]
Forever Howlong was released on 4 April 2025 through Ninja Tune on 2xLP, CD and cassette.[27] Multiple variants of the vinyl release were made available, such as a signed white label and releases with alternate artwork.[27] Variants of both the vinyl and cassette releases dubbed the "Collector's Edition" feature an alternate tracklist.[28]
Critical reception
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Forever Howlong has received acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Forever Howlong received a rating of 83 out of 100 based on eighteen critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[30]
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Timothy Monger claimed that it was, "Just as wily and unpredictable as anything they've done before, but with the added bonus of being delivered by three distinctive voices."[7] Sophie Vázquez of DIY praised the album's distinctness and spontaneity and wrote that it is "the band's most uplifting project to date".[15] Will Richards writing for Rolling Stone said that Forever Howlong was a "rich and considered album that bursts with life and creativity".[11] Marc Abbott wrote that the album is "very nearly perfect" in Under the Radar and notes how it "melds" multiple genres together.[14] Johnny Sharp wrote in Uncut that the "meandering melodic strands" though the album's breaking of convention "begin to stick" after repeat listens.[35] Matthew Kim of The Line of Best Fit concluded that the band "never sounded this full before" on Forever Howlong, and said the album was "messy, incohesive, and purely, beautifully human".[12] Zach Schonfeld of Pitchfork said that harmony played a key part in the album and called the band a "multi-headed beast" with an "overflowing creative spirit".[9]
The Guardian critic Alexis Petridis wrote that the band "[struck] an intriguing balance between winsome imagery and darker themes" with the new tone that the album took, calling it "surprising, captivating and unique".[16] Writing for Exclaim!, Kyle Kohner said that the "calm confidence" of the album would attract new fans, but possibly alienate long-time listeners.[18] Kohner also called it "a familiar voice in a new room".[18] Victoria Segal of Mojo compared the band's shift in tone and vocalists to the "Grandfather's Axe paradox" for old fans.[31] She called the album "remarkably unified" and "gloriously intriguing".[31] Donovan Livesey of MusicOMH wrote that the three vocalists produce "striking cohesion" and called the album "meticulously detailed" and "embraces accessibility without sacrificing the band's intricacy".[32] Writing for Clash, Cal Cashin said it would take listeners a while to "get [their] head around Forever Howlong", but that it was incredibly rewarding.[17] Casey Epstein-Gross of Paste said that while the album wasn't always consistent, it was still "undeniably special".[34] Our Culture writer Konstantinos Pappis wrote that "Forever Howlong manages to paint the deepest conflicts over a lovely, delightful musical canvas".[33] Pappis also called Black Country, New Road a "resilient group".[33]
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Track listing
All music is composed by Georgia Ellery, Lewis Evans, Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw, Luke Mark, and Charlie Wayne.
Notes
- Tracks 8 through to 11 are listed in reverse order on the Collector's Edition 2LP. "Forever Howlong" is additionally split into two separate tracks, with "Forever" on side C and "Howlong" on side D.[37] The Collector's Edition cassette also contains the alternate tracklist, but does not split "Forever Howlong" into two tracks.
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Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[38]
Black Country, New Road
- Georgia Ellery – acoustic guitar, mandolin, tenor recorder, violin, vocals
- Lewis Evans – alto saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet, flutes, tenor recorder
- Tyler Hyde – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, harmonium, piano, tenor recorder, vocals
- May Kershaw – accordion, harpsichord, piano, vocals
- Luke Mark – acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, electric guitar, lap steel, tenor recorder
- Charlie Wayne – banjo, drums, percussion, tenor recorder, tuned percussion
Additional contributors
- James Ford – production
- Luke Gibbs – engineering
- Brodie Griffin – engineering assistance
- Cass Whiley-Morton – engineering assistance
- Nathan Boddy – mixing
- Matt Colton – mastering
- Jordan Kee – paintings
- Ginny Davies – creative direction, design
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References
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