Adam KennyThe departure of Isaac Woods
In 2022, 5 days before the release of Ants From Up There, frontman and lead vocalist Isaac Wood left Black Country, New Road for good due to mental health issues. Although Wood left the band on good terms, the remaining members refused to play any of their old material featuring Wood. They felt it would have been strange and inappropriate, which makes sense, givent that Wood’s writing seemed rather personal. No one could replace or even emulate what Wood was able to do on songs like “Basketball Shoes“.
With his departure, the remaining members of the band quickly began to write new songs. To this day, they have not performed any material from Ants From Up There which received incredibly positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Some would argue it’s working its way up to be a modern classic —yours truly included. In 2023, Live at Bush Hall was released. A live performance of the new material that the band had put together, marking the new era without Wood. It was received warmly at the time of release. Live At Bush Hall marked a transitionary period for the band and the members themselves.
Live Bush Hall and Forever Howlong
Losing your frontman is challenging for any band. The band moved on from Wood’s confession-like songwriting paired, with his powerful vocal performances that jumped between weak desperation to Godlike confidence. They chose instead to feature individual vocal performances from multiple members of the group: Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw and Lewis Evans. We saw then what was to come from the bands new identity and structure. Immediately, the band’s new sound set itself apart from their previous work.
The female vocalists, Hyde and May, introduced a new side of the band. Wood’s vocals commanded a troubled and sorrowful sound, whereas Hyde and May bring in a much more positive and gentle spin. It also brings to light a feminine perspective which Wood would not be able to bring. The instrumentals were still very recognizable, but Wood’s departure, the band had not only lost their lead vocalist, but also their lead guitarist. Live at Bush Hall demonstrates the a heavy responsibility falling upon the other members to carry the tunes.
In January 2025 the band released teasers, and a new single called “Besties” along with the announcement of their new album Forever Howlong. Live at Bush Hall showed us what was to come for the bands sound, but Forever Howlong has shown that whilst Wood’s presence is missed, the overall quality and care put into the music is not.
Everyone elses time to shine!
When it comes to vocal performances, Forever Howlong takes the same approach that in Live at Bush Hall with Hyde, Kershaw and now Georgia Ellery moving their voices to the front. The band is going towards a much more jolly sound. While Ants From Up There featured a dark and depressing sound, Forever Howlong introduces a much more easy going attitude paired with a not-so serious tone.
The first single, and first song, on the album, “Besties” starts off big and bombastic. The song speaks about friendship, but more specifically women’s friendships. Tyler Hyde’s vocal performance fits the topic. Hyde sounds like she’s almost talking to one of her besties about another bestie. It’s endearing, cute, and immediately refreshing to hear, compared to the previous angst of the Ants From Up There. It’s a great start to the album and helps set the pace and tone.
Musical chairs? Vocalist chairs?
May Kershaw vocals are heard for the first time on the “The Big Spin”. The track keeps the same style of instrumentation as “Besties”. Trumpets, banjos and all sorts of instruments stir up here. The lyrics here come across as contemplative small talk. It reads and sounds like someone is standing at their kitchen window debating what’s going to happen in the seasons to come and how they quietly want the the freedom to embrace it… but can’t. What fruit will grow? What will rot in the garden? And how will the person change too? There’s a yearning for freedom on the song that’s hard to ignore. It’s an interesting take on settling down and domestication. What parts do people give up in order to stay put? Are the simple things like purple coloured hair really going to be such a horrible plague on things?
“The Salem Sisters”, which Hyde’s partner Rachid Fakhre helped write, continues to showcase the better parts of the bands new structure. Another song with heaps to say. The band’s songwriting is consistently a bright spot on the album. It’s a great statement of ability and care to be able to write such compelling and interesting lyrics when you’ve lost one of your main writers. Their songwriting is ambitious and confident. It rarely misses the mark.
The band holds on
The band is not struggling on the album. The songwriting is strong, and the instrumentals themselves are holding together well. The performance is not an issue itself, albeit on songs like “Socks” the melody can get lost. The progression feels abrupt at times, and lingers a bit too much at others. It’s oddly paced, it might work for some but it lost me. “Mary” on the inverse, has a very straight forward tune. The lyrics themselves are okay here, but the tune and songwriting isn’t at it’s strongest. The track’s sound is plain and a little bit weak compared to some of the other songs on the album. The larger than life saxophones and banjos are missing here. Whilst I was interested in what the song was saying and quite liked the end, it’s on the forgettable side of things.
“Happy Birthday’, however, breathes some life back into things. The myriad of instruments at the bands disposal creates a swell that you get caught up in during the chorus. It makes you appreciate what they were doing on the previous tracks a bit more. You go from pretty simple and straight forward moments back to the BCNR we know and love. A wonderful hodge podge of sound. The saxophone solos that are supported by drums and vocals harmonizing in the back like a choir. The pianos leading us into the start of songs that eventually brings us to the usual beatiful carnage we’re used to. You never focus on one thing when listening to their songs, but every thing is in tune with each other. The chemistry each of the instruments share helps eliminate any confusion in the melody that most bands would create with this much happening.
Overall
The concepts and ideas on Forever Howlong all have something going for them. Even on the more dull moments like “Mary”. Although it doesn’t rock your socks off, you can appreciate the story it’s going for. Not to award brownie points but it’s not a lost cause of a song. The lyricsm and storytelling across the album always has a vehicle to convey what it wants. Be it a domestic housewife who’s given it all up. A bullied school girl who yells in the showers as she loses herself, or a giddy best friend who can’t help but admire and love her friends. The idea consistently hold strong.
The titular song “Forever Howlong” for instance is not as chaotic or loud as “Socks” or “Salem Sisters”, but has its own pace. Again, everyday life is the topic of conversation. Watching an old man pick up poo, focusing on the narrators health as maybe that’ll help their blues. To shutting the curtains at only 5pm, because it’s time to turn in. Or at least, that’s what the songs character wants to do.
The band has opened up their songwriting so much in comparison to Ants From Up There which sometimes detailed personal hells. Forever Howlong instead gathers everyone around the table to talk about what’s on their minds. Each person having something to say. Some have something nice to share, whilst others have been pondering if what they’re doing is right. And then some don’t understand where they’re going wrong. It’s all very human.
Verdict
Forever Howlong is a quality follow up to Ants From Up There. It’s an incredibly hard thing to follow up an album that was revered and loved as much as it was… and still is. But Forever Howlong is a pivotal moment for the band as they showed that BCNR is still alive. Whilst what they did on Ants From Up There is special and I wouldn’t say Forever Howlong matches it in quality, it’s still a great album and there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. The band have announced firmly “we have so much left to say”. The songwriting and lyricsm is strong and deep on the album. The performances keep up for the most part, sometimes not bringing the usual punch you’d want. There’s some struggles at times, with songs struggling to find their own melody and sonic personalities. Although that’s expected for any band in this position.
I’m eager to see what the band will do next. I think there’s room for some more experimentation, and I hope the band does it! We wouldn’t have the highs that they’ve given us without trying new things. Overall, Forever Howlong is a wonderful start for the new Black Country, New Road. It’ll be an album I expect to revisit many times, and I hope the band are proud of what they’ve given us. I’m very excited for what they get up to next.
