Album Review // Black Country, New Road // Forever Howlong

Ninja Tune

4 / 5 Stars

After a studio hiatus, this Cambridge collective sounds renewed on Forever Howlong. Black Country, New Road (BCNR), is one of the most notable acts to break out in the 2020s rock scene. Their 2021 full-length debut expanded their reach beyond niche circles, and the 2022 follow-up Ants From Up There is widely considered one of the decade's best albums. However, mere days before its release, frontman Isaac Wood announced his departure due to mental health struggles, leaving the band without a lead voice at their peak of popularity. Still, they pressed on, debuting new material, much of which appeared on their 2023 live album. Jumpcut to 2025 as BCNR releases Forever Howlong, the band's first studio material since Wood's withdrawal from the band. However, this rendition of the group sounds considerably different from what came before. First evident in their live album is the band's newfound appreciation for the baroque. While string and brass have always been in the BCNR canon, Forever Howlong leans more heavily into the orchestral. This choice creates a level of depth not previously seen in the band's output. Songs like "Two Horses" and "Nancy Tries to Take the Night" paint these fantastical vistas of worlds long since gone, their instruments playing characters inside these microcosms. While a massive departure from the prog and punk sounds from their prior works, BCNR has found its footing on a new rock.