It is hard to believe that Black Country, New Road only crashed into the modern post-punk world four years ago. Since their 2021 debut, the prog-rock fusion experts have become worldwide sensations, touring around the globe while collecting praise from critics, industry, and fans alike. Black Country, New Road created somewhat of an underground Beatles-mania effect, continually growing their cult fanbase while their sonic experimentations slowly crept into mainstream ears. It would appear that the band has everything figured out with an evolving career and a sound they can call their own, and therein lies the question most have for Black Country, New Road: What’s next?
The answer is Forever Howlong, an eleven-song continuation of Black Country, New Road prog-rock prowess. The band is a rare exception in modern times. Most current rock bands are expected to completely change sonic directions with every album to keep up with trends, and most times, these shifts are welcomed. Black Country New Road established themselves as genre-bending, mold-breaking artists from the start, so there is no need to throw in a twangy ballad simply because country music is topping the charts. Forever Howlong doesn’t indicate a drastic change for the band; instead, this outing showcases their natural chemistry and comfort with themselves. Forever Howlong is more of the daring prog-rock Black Country has become known for, and while their growth is subtle, it is far from a non-factor. Across these eleven songs, the band spins fascinating, folksy tales and whimsically delivers them, giving the album’s dark subject matter a soft edge.
Forever Howlong finds Black Country, New Road in a familiar space. The tracklist is brimming with six-minute-long cinematic masterpieces that slowly evolve into head-spinning crescendos. While the band never deviates from their patented structure, the intricacies of their approach separate this latest outing from the band’s established discography. Moments like “For the Cold Country” start with nimble folk songs only to explode into shapeless spiritual jazz, but a song like “Salem Sisters” stays consistent in its infectious waltz. It is moments like the latter where Black Country’s growth since their 2022 LP truly starts to shine. Of course, a band like this can tap into the experimentation that landed them on their shiny pedestal, but Black Country isn’t in the business of repeating themselves.
The lyrics of Forever Howlong find the band exploring the dark corners of the human experience in order to craft enticing tales of loneliness, listlessness, and the search for emotional fulfillment. Throughout their third studio album, Black Country crafts mystical tales so emotionally palpable they almost feel autobiographical, and they possibly might be. The band chips away at their mystique with songs like “Two Horses,” a storytelling track about someone attempting to find their place, and the grandiose and heartbreaking outro “Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me).” While these songs might not be outright confessions of the band’s emotional state, the vague poetry that fuels it all must come from a personal place to be this vivid.
