Album Review: “For the First Time”

by Jaylyn Preslicka, Editor-In-Chief

Black Country, New Road’s (BC,NR) debut album “For the First Time” was released on Friday, Feb. 5. The avant-garde band is known for their wildly uncomfortable music and strong following despite only having two songs released until “Science Fair” on Oct 29. 2020. Black Country, New Road has played countless shows across the UK since 2018, and has been cultivating one of the strongest underground fan bases on the current London music scene. Their debut album is far from a disappointment.

“No, rock is not dead. But if his heart stops beating, rest assured: this debut album from @BCNRband will be the dose of adrenaline he’ll need to get going again,” Twitter user @goutemesdisques said.

“Sunglasses” and “Athens, France” were the only two songs officially released by the band on the indie record label, Speedy Wunderground. With “Sunglasses” having over 1 million streams on Spotify, BC,NR’s commercial success may be limited, but their listeners have remained strong. The band’s music classifies under the post-punk revival genre, but purposely makes the listener feel uncomfortable with the off-key instruments and unnerving singing from the lead Isaac Wood.

“For the First Time” has six songs, only two not officially released. As with their other music, each track is lengthy in time as well as lyrics.

The opening track “Instrumental” is exactly that, being one of the two previously unreleased songs on the album. “Opus” being the other track. Despite the two infamous songs “Sunglasses” and “Athens, France” already being well known by fans, the album versions were slightly updated in the sense of lyrics. All songs released on the album are not unknown to fans who have seen the band live, as they have been regular tracks in their setlist for some time now.

Like the other bands in their scene, BC,NR’s lyrics are nonsensical and often satirical. The subject of the majority of the songs sound as if it were to be spoken poetry over heavy bass and jazz instruments. Wood does the majority of the singing, but the seven other members of the band contribute to the complex sound of their songs. There is no other current band with the unique style such as theirs.

“Music for some songwriters is like their baby, but that’s never been our ethos. We change songs all the time and the ability to let go is really important in a seven-person band,” saxophone player Lewis Evans said. “You don’t want to be dictatorial. There are six other voices that are incredibly brilliant so what’s the point in ignoring them?”

Regardless of their style of music, BC,NR is regarded as the most sought after band in England. After the release of “For the First Time,” more attention to the band will be caught and the rise in popularity will only commence.

“For the First Time” is available on all streaming platforms, and you can directly support the band through their website black-country-new-road.myshopify.com.