Black Country, New Road

Ants from up there

Black Country, New Road formed in Cambridge in 2018, and Isaac Wood suggested the name after using Wikipedia's random article button. Tyler Hyde, Lewis Evans, Georgia Ellery, May Kershaw, Charlie Wayne and Wood had played together since 2014 in an East Cambridgeshire band; Luke Mark joined as second guitarist in early 2019, making a seven-piece. Their debut single "Athens, France" came out on Speedy Wunderground on January 18, 2019, followed by "Sunglasses" on July 26, 2019. They signed to Ninja Tune in October 2020, and For the First Time (February 5, 2021, 40:44, produced and mixed by Andy Savours) reached 4 in the UK and 1 on the independent chart, with a 2021 Mercury Prize nomination. Metacritic scores it 83.

Ants from Up There was recorded in July 2021 over three weeks at Chale Abbey on the Isle of Wight, produced by the band's live sound engineer Sergio Maschetzko, and announced on October 12, 2021 with "Chaos Space Marine". On January 31, 2022, four days before its release on February 4, Isaac Wood announced his departure, and a planned US tour was cancelled. The album reached 3 in the UK and 1 on the US Heatseekers chart, has a Metacritic score of 92 and was Best New Music at Pitchfork; the band does not perform material from the first two albums live out of respect for Wood. Hyde, Evans and Ellery took over lead vocals. They released the cover EPs Never Again (December 3, 2021) and Never Again Pt. 2 (November 14, 2022) and Live at Bush Hall (March 24, 2023).

Forever Howlong (April 4, 2025), produced by James Ford at Angelic and Halse in Brackley over about three weeks, reached 3 in the UK; the Guardian's Alexis Petridis called it surprising, captivating and unique. The band belongs to the so-called Windmill scene with black midi, Squid and Dry Cleaning, and toured as Black Midi, New Road. Ellery records as part of Jockstrap and Hyde as Tyler Cryde. The Quietus's John Doran called them the best in the entire world after "Sunglasses".