We’re delighted to announce that we will be playing a series of shows in the United States of America later this year. We will be playing with our friends @bmblackmidi on a selection of dates. This will be accompanied by our own headline show in New York City at @boweryballroom. pic.twitter.com/BPsXuQ3Bxu

— BlackCountry,NewRoad (@BCNRband) June 7, 2022

Now when I say ‘finally’ I may be exaggerating the scale a little. Black Country, New Road (who for convenience sake I’ll call BC,NR) released their debut For The First Time in February 2021, then in less than a year their sophomore LP Ants From Up There was released – unfortunately, it came just a week or 2 after lead vocalist and founding member Isaac Woods announced his departure. So, it really hasn’t been too long in the making. But actual timescale aside, it’s been an eventful journey. Woods’ leaving gave the band no choice but to cancel the US tour they had planned at the time, and – because of the band’s decision to only play new music after the departure – neither of the albums released so far actually got to be played there. A lot has happened.

One thing to keep in mind, however, Woods’ departure was not one of malice or disrespect. The group have all openly condoned the reasoning behind it, and has chosen to look at it as the beginning of a new phase in the band’s history. Things change, members come and go, and the jazz-ensemble-esque nature of the band means that this may even suit them. The decision to fill a whole set with entirely new music fits in with the enigmatic history of the band; never let them know your next move. You can listen to one of the new tracks, recorded by a fan from one of the last UK dates, below.

BC,NR touring with black midi does mean that it’d be rude not to bring up a bit of an undiscovered gem in the post-punk world. The Windmill in Brixton is famous for its work with undiscovered, unsigned, and generally underground artists. It gave a platform to so many bands we take for granted today – BC,NR, black midi, and Squid should be more than enough examples – and as a part of the venue’s Christmas livestreams, Black Midi, New Road was born. See below.

We have some news to share concerning the future of the band. Please read on for information on upcoming shows, but it seems right to pass on this message from Isaac first pic.twitter.com/3HHmSwBDQj

— BlackCountry,NewRoad (@BCNRband) January 31, 2022

Wood begins by saying, “I have bad news which is that I have been feeling sad and afraid too. And I have tried to make this not true but it is the kind of sad and afraid feeling that makes it hard to play guitar and sing at the same time.” He later explains that this means, “From now on I won’t be a member of the group anymore.” The explanation seems to imply the pressure and expectations of the band just being too much, but ultimately, I am not Isaac Wood. I don’t know what he is feeling, but one thing I (and hopefully you) can gain some solace from is the fact that the rest of the band are being supportive. “This is completely in spite of six of the greatest people I know, who were and are wonderful in a sparkling way.” Wood finished his message with a simple “Thank you” to everyone.

The band then released a statement in the same post explaining how an effort will be made to continue the group without Isaac’s signature sound. Beginning by saying “The things we’ll miss about working with Isaac are too many and various to list here, but by listening to the music we made together I’m sure you’ll understand at least a few of them.” They then added, “The rest of us are working on Black Country, New Road material moving forward. We hope to update you all on new music and everything that goes along with that (shows included) pretty soon.”

All things considered, I think this is enough of a justification for the cancellation of the band’s shows at the Roundhouse, and in the US come April. Their new album Ants from Up There will be coming out this Friday. You can have a look at the last few pre-order options here. Listen to “Snow Globes” below.

Black Country, New Road released an official statement via their social media this morning to confirm that the dates are postponed, stating; “We are working on rescheduling these dates in 2022. Ticket holders for Manchester, Bristol and Dublin will have their ticket valid for the already announced April show[s]. Ticket holders for the other shows will be notified when a new show is announced in the new year and their ticket will be valid for this show.” You can read the full statement here, or at the link below.

Statement from band on postponement of remaining 2021 tour dates
Ticketing info for relevant shows herehttps://t.co/fp6WA9Hux5 pic.twitter.com/VFxr0A06q4

— BlackCountry,NewRoad (@BCNRband) November 25, 2021

Despite the unfortunate news regarding the tour, Black Country, New Road are gearing up to release a new album entitled Ants From Up There, which is currently scheduled to reach fans’ ears on February 4^th, 2022. The band has already released two singles from the album, “Chaos Space Marine” and “Bread Song”, which are both available on all streaming services. The band has expressed great pride and confidence in their new record, with singer Isaac Wood calling “Chaos Space Marine” “the best song we’ve ever written”. They have also described the upcoming album as “sad, epic and possibly more universally likeable” according to NME.

Ants From Up There comes just shy of a year after the band’s acclaimed debut album For The First Time, which has found a home in the hearts of post-rock and post-punk fans with its moody guitar stylings and spoken-word vocals; musical aspects that have time and again seen Black Country, New Road warrant comparison to the highly influential and revered American group Slint. The band’s sound has also seen them lumped in with various UK peers, including Squid and Black Midi, the latter of which the band occasionally collaborates with at gigs, under the name Black Midi, New Road.

To re-iterate, Ants From Up There will be released on February 4^th, 2022 via Ninja Tune, and will be available via all streaming services. The band also has physical media of the upcoming album available, including a number of vinyl variants, cassettes and CDs.

Black Country, New Road will be embarking on a tour in April of 2022, and have a show scheduled for February at London’s Roundhouse. As previously mentioned, some tickets for the postponed shows will be valid for the performances in Manchester, Bristol and Dublin in April. Tickets can be bought here, and the dates are listed below.

08/02/2022- Roundhouse- London
06/04- The Foundry- Sheffield
07/04- O2 Academy- Oxford
09/04- Liquid Room- Edinburgh
10/04- The Empire- Belfast
11/04- Olympia- Dublin
13/04- Albert Hall- Manchester
14/04- Rock City- Nottingham
16/04- Concorde 2- Brighton
17/04- O2 Academy- Bristol

Ants From Up There
4th February 2022https://t.co/eoqMaO51a2 pic.twitter.com/kOHICNOHUN

— BlackCountry,NewRoad (@BCNRband) October 12, 2021

According to NME, the band’s frontman, Isaac Wood, has called “Chaos Space Marine” “the best song we’ve ever written”, stating: “We threw in every idea anyone had with that song. So the making of it was a really fast, whimsical approach – like throwing all the shit at the wall and just letting everything stick.” Wood’s description of the song rings true; as the song begins, the listener is almost immediately hit with a progressive rock-esque instrumental, with different instruments dropping in and out in fleeting bursts before breaking down to a jagged staccato piano line, with Wood’s restrained narration sitting over the top, singing; “And though England is mine, I must leave it all behind.”

The track, whilst certainly not a far cry, carries a slightly different sound to the sometimes dissonant, largely guitar-driven sound of the band’s debut full-length album For The First Time, which was released earlier this year to great acclaim from both audiences and critics. The album has warranted comparison to the likes of American post-rock legends Slint for its moody guitar lines, as well as similar groups such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and fellow post-punk/experimental rock outfit Black Midi, whom Black Country, New Road regularly perform with under the name Black Midi, New Road.

Their forthcoming album Ants From Up There was recorded at Chale Abbey Studios on the Isle of Wight over the summer of this year. Bassist Tyler Hyde said of the new record, according to NME; “It was such a pleasure to make. I’ve kind of accepted that this might be the best thing that I’m ever part of for the rest of my life. And that’s fine.”

The tracklist for Ants From Up There can be viewed down below.

1). “Intro”
2). “Chaos Space Marine”
3). “Concorde”
4). “Bread Song”
5). “Good Will Hunting”
6). “Haldern”
7). “Mark’s Theme”
8). “The Place Where He Inserted The Blade”
9). “Snow Globes”
10). “Basketball Shoes”

Black Country, New Road will be embarking on a UK tour following the album’s release in February. Listed down below are the band’s remaining 2021 shows, alongside the dates for their 2022 tour. Tickets are available here.

29/11/21-Chalk-Brighton
30/11- Junction 1-Cambridge
01/12- 1865- Southampton
03/12- Arts Club,- Liverpool
04/12- Irish Centre- Leeds
06/12- O2 Ritz Manchester- Manchester
07/12- Newcastle University Union- Newcastle Upon Tyne
08/12- TV Studios (SWG3)- Glasgow
09/12-The Mill- Birmingham
10/12- The Waterfront- Norwich
12/12- SWX- Bristol
13/12-Y Plas- Cardiff
15/12- Whelan’s- Dublin

2022 TOUR
08/03/2022- Roundhouse-London
06/04-The Foundry-Sheffield
07/04- O2 Academy- Oxford
09/04- Liquid Room-Edinburgh
10/04- The Empire- Belfast
11/04- Olympia- Dublin
13/04- Albert Hall- Manchester
14/04- Rock City, Nottingham
16/04- Concorde 2- Brighton
17/04- O2 Academy- Bristol