Black Country, New Road

Black Country, New Road are an English rock group from Cambridge, formed in 2018 and active since then. Their music is associated with art rock, chamber pop, experimental rock, indie rock, new wave, post-punk, post-rock, and crank wave.

Formation and early line-up

The band forms from members who had previously played together in the East Cambridgeshire group Nervous Conditions, which forms in 2014. That earlier line-up includes Tyler Hyde, Lewis Evans, Georgia Ellery, May Kershaw, Charlie Wayne, Isaac Wood, Connor Browne, and Jonny Pyke. Nervous Conditions records an unreleased album titled Zak's Anniversary in 2017, before the group disbands in early 2018 after allegations of sexual assault against Browne. Black Country, New Road then forms later in 2018 without Browne and Pyke.

The original Black Country, New Road line-up includes Tyler Hyde on vocals and bass, Lewis Evans on vocals, flute and saxophone, Georgia Ellery on violin and backing vocals, May Kershaw on vocals and keyboards, Charlie Wayne on drums and backing vocals, and Isaac Wood on guitar and lead vocals. Luke Mark joins in 2019, bringing the group to seven members. The band also becomes known by the abbreviations BC,NR and BCNR. Its name comes from the Black Country New Road in the English Midlands, and Wood reportedly finds the phrase through Wikipedia’s random article feature.

Early singles and breakthrough

The band first draws attention with the singles Athens, France and Sunglasses, both released in 2019. Athens, France comes out through Speedy Wunderground in January 2019, and Sunglasses follows in July. The group performs regularly at venues including the Windmill in Brixton and becomes associated with the South London music scene. These early songs receive attention from critics and help build the band’s audience.

Albums and later work

Black Country, New Road sign to Ninja Tune in October 2020 and announce their debut album, For the First Time. Andy Savours produces the album, which is recorded during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and released in 2021. It reaches number four on the UK Albums Chart, tops the UK Independent Albums Chart, and receives a Mercury Prize nomination.

The group’s second album, Ants from Up There, appears in 2022 and receives widespread critical praise. It debuts at number three on the UK Albums Chart, their highest chart position at that point. Before its release, Isaac Wood leaves the band in January 2022 because of mental health difficulties, and planned touring in the United States is cancelled. After Wood’s departure, Hyde, Ellery, Kershaw and Evans share vocal duties, and the band generally stops performing songs from the first two albums live. A deluxe edition of Ants from Up There later includes live recordings from Queen Elizabeth Hall.

In 2021, the group also releases the limited EP Never Again, which includes covers of songs by MGMT, ABBA and Adele. In 2022, they release Never Again Pt. 2, with covers of songs by Regina Spektor, Caroline Polachek, The Magnetic Fields and Billie Eilish.

In 2023, Black Country, New Road release Live at Bush Hall, a concert film and live album recorded at Bush Hall in London. The performances consist entirely of previously unreleased material written after Wood’s departure. The live album is released in March 2023. Later that year, the band signs a global publishing agreement with Transgressive Publishing and confirms that work on a new studio album is underway.

The third studio album, Forever Howlong, is released in 2025. Its singles include Besties, Happy Birthday and For the Cold Country. The album receives positive reviews, reaches number three on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK Independent Albums Chart, and charts in Germany, Australia and the United States, where it becomes the band’s first entry on the Billboard 200.