Black Country, New Road

Multifaceted post-punk group Black Country, New Road combine disparate genres including jazz, math rock, and klezmer to form sprawling tracks that switch between quieter moments and peaks of bristling intensity. They debuted in 2021 with their Mercury Prize-nominated album For the First Time, before quickly following it up with 2022′s Ants from Up There. After the departure of original vocalist Isaac Wood, three of the band’s members shared vocal duties, and Live at Bush Hall, a film and concert recording consisting of all-new material, appeared in 2023. Formed from the ashes of their previous band Nervous Conditions, the members of BCNR include Lewis Evans (saxophone), May Kershaw (keyboard), Charlie Wayne (drums), Luke Mark (guitar), Isaac Wood (vocals/guitar), Tyler Hyde (bass), and Georgia Ellery (violin). Having cut their teeth at the infamous Brixton venue the Windmill, they established themselves with their raucous live shows — their live reputation and just two singles, 2019′s “Sunglasses” and “Athen’s, France,” generated a lot of hype before the release of their debut, For the First Time, in 2021. The album was nominated for the 2021 Mercury Music Award while also peaking at number four in the U.K. album charts. With touring on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group returned to the studio with long-time collaborator Sergio Maschetzko to work on their follow-up. Pushing their sound further into other sonic territories, the resulting album, Ants from Up There, was issued in February 2022, just days after the sudden departure of singer/guitarist Isaac Wood. Though the album garnered widespread acclaim, the remaining bandmembers declined to perform any of it without Wood. With Hyde, Kershaw, and Evans all sharing lead vocal duties, they retired their previous material and wrote an entirely new set of songs to reflect their current lineup. During a two-night stand at London’s Bush Hall, the reconstituted Black Country, New Road made a concert film and album featuring these new songs. Live at Bush Hall was released in early 2023. ~ Liam Martin