Black Country, New Road is an English experimental rock band formed in London in 2018 out of the Brixton Windmill scene, with saxophone, violin, and shared vocals in the mix. Ants from Up There (2022) is a modern classic, and Live at Bush Hall shows how the band reinvented itself after Isaac Wood's departure. Browse Black Country, New Road vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
The band formed in London in 2018, with multiple members having previously played together in the band Nervous Conditions. They have been associated with the Windmill scene (a Brixton pub that has developed a defining South London post-rock and post-punk scene) alongside contemporaries like Black Midi, Squid, Caroline, and Jockstrap. Their 2021 debut For the First Time received critical attention. Original vocalist Isaac Wood departed four days before the release of Ants from Up There (February 2022) for mental health reasons. The remaining six members have since continued with all three of Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw, and Lewis Evans sharing lead vocals across their subsequent material. Their 2023 live album Live at Bush Hall featured entirely new post-Wood material, with their toured 2025 LP Forever Howlong being their first studio album since Wood's departure.
Black Country, New Road's sound combines post-rock, art rock, experimental rock, post-punk, chamber pop, indie folk, and avant-rock with their distinctive multi-vocalist arrangements (during the post-Wood era), extensive instrumental arrangements (use of saxophone, violin, and keyboards), and literary lyrical content addressing relationships, mental health, identity, and broader contemporary themes.
Ninja Tune pressings of the Black Country, New Road catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Black Country, New Road typically start with Ants from Up There (2022) or Live at Bush Hall (2023).
