What is going on with Black Country, New Road?
The acclaimed English band tease new music on the way after the departure of frontman Isaac Wood.
Photo: Press
We’re going to talk about it. The band that was at their magnum opus and then got thrown into a loop: Black Country, New Road. The good news is that the band isn’t letting the departure of their former uber-talented vocalist Isaac Wood stop them from moving forward.
Prior to the release of their sophomore album, Ants From Up There, fans were surprised to learn that it would be the last project of the band with its original lineup. It was a shock to fans and critics alike; the album in turn became a send-off for Wood as reviews came rolling in and fans’ perspective on the album became altered with more emotional depth. The importance of mental health took centre stage as it was the motivation for the shake-off; nevertheless, it left plenty of questions to be answered about the future of one of England’s spearhead acts.
Wood didn’t leave the band or the fans with nothing, however, as their 2022 summer tour with black midi featured plenty of unreleased tracks and a newfound sense of what Black Country, New Road is. The experimental tour, which the band said had to occur so they could keep on the path of where their band was heading, took a new life in the concert film Live At Bush Hall and its accompanying live album. Due to be released on the 24th of March, the album has bassist Tyler Hyde, saxophonist Lewis Evans, and pianist May Kershaw sharing vocal duty while also shining on their respective instruments. Hyde’s comments after the lineup change about their next project “taking life as something other than a traditional studio album” came to life in marvellous fashion.
The question that remains is where does this lead the band moving forward? Were those eight months of touring the predecessor to a new vision? Black Country, New Road are about to tell everyone.
The band surprise dropped a teaser video on their Instagram account; featuring a piano-driven arrangement and a lot of mystery. In a vintage-style video format, the band are shown carrying around balloons of the band’s acronym around London. It cuts off to show the band’s logo and “coming soon”, confirming that new music is on the way. Perhaps this stripped-back piano melody is the first look into what Black Country, New Road has to offer, or maybe it’s a planned diversion and what drops will shock everyone. But, for now, fans can celebrate that the band has no plans of going anywhere.
Live at Bush Hall is out on March 24th via Ninja Tune.