Black Country, New Road share new single "Happy Birthday" + new stop-motion music video
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD SHARE NEW SINGLE "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"
WATCH THE NEW STOP-MOTION VIDEO HERE
NEW ALBUM "FOREVER HOWLONG" OUT APRIL 4TH ON NINJA TUNE
TO BE PLAYED IN FULL ON NEWLY ANNOUNCED INTIMATE UK LIVE DATES IN APRIL 2025
Black Country, New Road share a new single titled "Happy Birthday". The track comes on the heels of the announcement of their new album, "Forever Howlong", which is due out April 4th on Ninja Tune. Alongside the new song, the band have also announced details of a new intimate run of UK live shows to take place in April 2025, in which they will perform the album in full to celebrate it's release. These dates will come ahead of their US, EU, and UK tours, which are set to take place later this year.
"Forever Howlong" is the band's first studio release since 2022's UK #3 album “Ants From Up There”, which gave them their second Top 5 UK album in 12 months alongside their Mercury Prize shortlisted debut “For the first time”, and follows 2023's "Live at Bush Hall", an album The Guardian claimed was a “magical resurgence” in a triumphant five-star review. Now, on studio album three, the band are once again building from the ground up in yet another miraculous musical transformation.
The long-awaited new record was produced by James Ford (Fontaines D.C., Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Blur) and sees Black Country, New Road settled into a new shape in which vocal duties – and most of the song writing – is split between Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery, and May Kershaw. The album was announced alongside it's expansive and joyous opener "Besties", which was met by rapturous praise from both their incredibly dedicated fans and media alike.
"Happy Birthday" sees Black Country, New Road continue to expand upon their captivating dynamism. The track is emblematic of the band's intuitive songwriting relationship under their new configuration and exemplifies a sort of domino effect that developed over their writing sessions. “When I wrote ‘Happy Birthday’ I had Georgia’s song ‘Besties’ in my head while I was writing it," says Hyde. "Therefore, the structure of it is heavily influenced by it.”
‘Happy Birthday’ being inspired by "Besties" is a perfect example of how songs on Forever Howlong are connected in spirit and tone but still feel like very standalone pieces of work. The former slowly builds over sprightly piano keys and laid-back guitar, with Hyde lyrically tapping into the frustrations of generational differences with younger people and their need to wake up from their own self-absorption, before it creeps into something quietly yet potently euphoric.
“Happy Birthday” is paired with a new stop-motion music video, which follows the journey of two birds in the woods helping one another to escape from hunters. The animation is directed by Lesley-Anne Rose who produces, directs and writes short stop-motion films and short films for television broadcast, gallery exhibitions, and events. She has created content for BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Channel 4, and the BFI, as well music videos for artists like Kathryn Williams and Richard Dawson.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" HERE
As with the songs from their “Live at Bush Hall” release, Black Country, New Road, who in 2024 sold out dates across the US earlier in the Spring and performed at Coachella, Glastonbury, Primavera, Green Man, and Pitchfork London, have been road testing material from "Forever Howlong" on stage across the year. Through fan recordings and the band's own constant reinvention, these songs have largely taken shape in plain sight and with the full support of their international fanbase. Despite moving swiftly on after each record, and never having conventionally toured in support of a studio album, the band’s fervent following has only grown and grown regardless.
The band will take to the road again in 2025 in support of the album. Dates will start with the aforementioned UK tour in April, ahead of the band's US dates, as well as festival appearances at Pitchfork Music Festival CDMX, Primavera Sound, Paredes De Coura, Lowlands, and End Of The Road, plus a full UK / EU tour in September and October, ending on their biggest headliner yet at London's O2 Brixton Academy.
Black Country, New Road live dates:
Mon 07 Apr – Plaza – Stockport, UK
Tue 08 Apr – Queens Hall – Edinburgh, UK
Wed 09 Apr – Leeds Project House – Leeds, UK
Fri 11 Apr – Town Hall – Birmingham, UK
Sat 12 Apr – Engine Rooms – Southampton, UK
Sun 13 Apr – Epic Studios – Norwich, UK
Sat 3 May - Pitchfork Music Festival CDMX - Ciudad De México, MX
Tue 13 May – Salt Shed – Chicago, IL, US ☼ ☆
Wed 14 May – Slowdown – Omaha, NE, US ☼
Fri 16 May – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO, US ♢
Sat 17 May – Kilby Block Party – Salt Lake City, UT, US
Mon 19 May – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA, US ☆
Tue 20 May – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA, US ☆
Thu 22 May – The Warfield – San Francisco, CA, US ☆
Fri 23 May – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR, US ☆
Sat 24 May – Moore Theater – Seattle, WA, US ☆
Fri 23 May – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR, US
Sat 24 May – Moore Theater – Seattle, WA, US
Sat 07 Jun – Primavera Sound Festival – Barcelona, ES
Wed 13-Sat 16 Aug – Paredes de Coura Festival – Porto, PT
Thu 28 Aug – End of the Road 2025 – Dorset, UK
Thu 11 Sep – Rock City – Nottingham, UK
Fri 12 Sep – Albert Hall – Manchester, UK
Sat 13 Sep – Albert Hall – Manchester, UK
Mon 15 Sep – Olympia – Dublin, IE
Tue 16 Sep – Olympia – Dublin, IE
Thu 18 Sep – Barrowlands – Glasgow, UK
Sat 20 Sep – Sage – Gateshead, UK
Mon 22 Sep – Beacon – Bristol, UK
Wed 24 Sep – Corn Exchange – Cambridge, UK
Thu 09 Oct – Casino de Paris – Paris, FR
Fri 10 Oct – Stereolux – Nantes, FR
Sun 12 Oct – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL
Mon 13 Oct – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL
Tue 14 Oct – Gloria – Cologne, DE
Wed 15 Oct – Astra – Berlin, DE
Fri 17 Oct – Vega – Copenhagen, DK
Sat 18 Oct – Fallan – Stockholm, SE
Sun 19 Oct – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NO
Tue 21 Oct – Mojo – Hamburg, DE
Wed 22 Oct – Roxy – Prague, CZ
Thu 23 Oct – Les Docks – Lausanne, CH
Sat 25 Oct – Magazzini Generali – Milan, IT
Sun 26 Oct – Epicerie Moderne – Lyon, FR
Tue 28 Oct – AB – Brussels, BE
Thu 30 Oct – The Dome – Brighton, UK
Fri 31 Oct – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
☼ support from Friko
☆ support from Nora Brown with Stephanie Coleman
♢ supporting St. Vincent
Tickets for the new April dates will go on sale at 10am GMT on Thursday 6th March - HERE. All other tickets are on sale now.
Black Country, New Road's ability to respond to changing circumstances is not only down to their close-knit friendship but due to their talent, adaptability and long standing relationship together as musicians. A mix of classically trained and self-taught, the multi-instrumentalists gathered steam as a band in the late 2010s, regularly playing The Windmill in Brixton alongside friends and peers such as Squid and Black Midi, and soon found themselves being labelled "the best band in the world" by The Quietus.
Here in 2025, "Forever Howlong" is an ambitious, meticulously detailed record that includes everything from folk to prog via baroque pop and touches of alt-rock – with nods to everything from Joanna Newsom to Randy Newman via Fiona Apple and Janis Ian – yet all the while retaining that unmistakably unique sound that only this combination of musicians can come up with. Although hugely varied and expansive, the album also feels deeply cohesive and focused, as it takes three distinct voices and styles and seamlessly intersperses them into a new collective sound.
"Forever Howlong" will be available across a range of formats; a standard 2LP on recycled black vinyl, a white label 2LP signed by the band, an Indie exclusive negative effect artworked 2LP, and both a Collector's Edition 2LP with an alternate tracklisting in translucent eco jazz red and a Collector's Edition Cassette, also featuring the alternate tracklisting.
PRE-ORDER “FOREVER HOWLONG" HERE
Black Country, New Road
Forever Howlong
Out April 4th 2024 on Ninja Tune
Digital / CD Tracklisting:
1. Besties
2. The Big Spin
3. Socks
4. Salem Sisters
5. Two Horses
6. Mary
7. Happy Birthday
8. For the Cold Country
9. Nancy Tries to Take the Night
10. Forever Howlong
11. Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me)
Standard Vinyl (+ Indie / White Label) Tracklisting:
SIDE A
Besties
The Big Spin
Socks
SIDE B
Salem Sisters
Two Horses
Mary
SIDE C
Happy Birthday
For the Cold Country
SIDE D
Nancy Tries to Take the Night
Forever Howlong
Goodbye (Don't Tell Me)
Collector’s Edition Vinyl Tracklisting:
SIDE A
Besties
The Big Spin
Socks
SIDE B
Salem Sisters
Two Horses
Mary
SIDE C
Happy Birthday
Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me)
Forever
SIDE D
Forever Howlong
Nancy Tries to Take the Night
For the Cold Country
Collector's Edition Cassette Tracklisting:
Side A
Besties
The Big Spin
Socks
Salem Sisters
Two Horses
Mary
Side B
Happy Birthday
Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me)
Forever Howlong
Nancy Tries to Take the Night
For the Cold Country
Black Country, New Road is:
Georgia Ellery (Acoustic guitar, mandolin, tenor recorder, violin, vocals)
Lewis Evans (Alto saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet, flutes, tenor recorder)
Tyler Hyde (Acoustic guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, harmonium, piano, tenor recorder, vocals)
May Kershaw (Accordion, harpsichord, piano, vocals)
Luke Mark (Acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, electric guitar, lap steel, tenor recorder)
Charlie Wayne (Banjo, drums, percussion, tenor recorder, tuned percussion)
Follow Black Country, New Road:
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Bandcamp
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Selected praise for last album “Ants From Up There”:
“a future cult classic”
- NME (5/5)
“the sheer grace and ambition of Ants… will prove tough for 2022 to top. A huge leap forward, headfirst into the unknown.”
- The Independent (5/5)
“an incredible record”
- The Line Of Best Fit (10/10)
"sonic experimentation at its finest"
- Gigwise (10/10)
"epic post-rock delivered with a sideways glance"
- Music OMH (5/5)
“a gift for the ages”
- RIOT (10/10)
“The new kings and queens of new British post-rock take an exhilarating turn for the tuneful.” - Mojo (4/5)
“one of the most innovative bands in Britain"
- The Times (4/5)
“The Cambridgeshire post-rock explorers have triumphed in extraordinarily adverse circumstances.” - Mojo (4/5)
“Post-rock chamber ensemble roar right back with maximalist opus.”
– Uncut – Album Of The Month (9/10)
“For Black Country, New Road to want to push this far, to delve this deep, on what is only their second shot at making an album together is fairly astonishing.”
– Uncut – Album Of The Month (9/10)
“in short, they meet the sky-high potential teased on their first record.”
- CLASH (9/10)
“This fully imagined second album showcases an adventurous band at full tilt.”
- Record Collector (4/5)
“A phenomenal record”
- Dork (4/5)
"Whatever the future holds for Black Country, New Road, this is an album they can be proud of"
- Press Association (4/5)
“It [“Ants From Up There”] will take some bettering this year”
- The i
“[Black Country, New Road] follow up on their ‘utterly mesmerising’ debut by going brighter and bolder”
- Irish Times
