BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD – ‘BESTIES’
2024-11-25Black Country, New Road are back on Ninja Tune for their third LP entitled Forever Howlong. Their first release since the sudden departure of frontman/ringleader Isaac Wood, the Cambridge six-piece soldiers on admirably, matching the kitchen-sink baroque onslaught of their prior efforts with a more streamlined, but no less-affecting blend of the ornate and the intimate. With vocals now split between Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery (also of Jockstrap), and May Kershaw, the group seems to rally around each one’s vocal quirks, making for a record-as-survey that winds up far more cohesive and surprisingly tender than expected.