Black Country, New Road – Ants from Up There

Riding a heady wave of critical acclaim for the 2021 debut, and unable to tour, has meant Black Country, New Road have had a lot of time to think. However, their follow-up Ants from Up There is free from the fretful hand-wringing that can easily tank album number two. Instead, the band come through with a thrilling work full of creative spirit and unwavering imagination.

Opening with a tight, hypnotic phrase that brings together all the unique melodic markers of Black Country – Georgia Ellery’s violin, Lewis Evans on the sax – listeners would be forgiven for thinking they’ve put on the wrong record. Chaos Space Marine, with its far-out narration, has all the operatic charm and lyrical absurdism of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust without compromising on the band’s compelling, ever-changing melange of folk, jazz and military-grade indie. 

For all the flamboyant esotericism, Black Country rarely stray into pretentiousness, although Isaac Wood’s singing style has been the source of intense debate. Grounded, evocative tracks like Concorde are smattered with wry nods to the mundanity of modern living (“And I heard you’re on Atkins as well,” Wood glumly notes), before giving way to the group’s unrivalled ability for dramatic, discordant crescendos. While Woods’s sardonic stylings often garner the lion’s share of critical attention, tracks like the instrumental Mark’s Theme really illustrate the roaring musical engine that propels the band.

Closing out with two epic tracks, the nine-minute Snow Globes and the 12-minute Basketball Shoes, the quietly bubbling tension erupts through cracks and seams, particularly in the cathartic clashes and wails on the former song. 

Upon the release of Ants from Up There, Woods surprised fans by stepping away from the band to focus on his wellbeing. While line-up changes are no rare fact, the singer’s departure adds some additional poignancy to this record. From the shoots of 2021’s For the First Time, Ants from Up There delivers with a more pronounced identity and ambition, unwavering since their breakthrough. What will follow, what stylistic changes, will be for the band to decide; on this record, the stars truly align for the cold-fisted Space Marine. 

Jasper Watkins

Ants from Up There is released on 4^th February 2022. For further information or to order the album visit Black Country, New Road’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Snow Globes here: