November 3rd, 2021 – Singapore – Critically-acclaimed UK rock seven-piece Black Country, New Road have released “Bread Song”, the second single to be taken from their highly anticipated second album, ‘Ants From Up There‘, which will be released on 4th February on Ninja Tune.
Already a firm live favourite since it’s reveal earlier this year, the new single’s highly emotive lyrics and tender, stripped back instrumentation have seen it instantly gel with fans. Lyrically, “Bread Song” might be rooted in something hugely relatable and every day – bread crumbs in bed – but the lyrics were tweaked and thought about in various stages over a four year period. The track also continues to signal the musical evolution of the band’s new material further delving into more melodic territory with subtly intricate dynamics, which swell up into beautiful moments that engulf the listener like crashing waves.
Speaking about the track, frontman Isaac Wood says, “We wanted to do the first chorus with no time signature. I went to see Steve Reich do Music for 18 Musicians and there’s a piece where a bar length is determined by the breadth of the clarinet player, they just play until they run out of breath. I wanted to try that with the whole band, where we don’t look at each other, we don’t make too many cues, we just try and play without time – but together.”
Their debut record ‘For the first time‘ is a certain 2021 Album of the Year, having received ecstatic reviews from critics and fans alike as well as being shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. Released in February this year to extensive, global, critical support – perhaps best summed up by The Times who wrote in their 5/5 review that they were “the most exciting band of 2021” and The Observer who called their record “one of the best albums of the year” – the album made a significant dent on the UK Albums Chart where it landed at #4 in its first week, a remarkable achievement for a largely experimental debut record.
The album also reached #1 on Any Decent Music, #2 at Album Of The Year and sat at #1 on Rate Your Music for several weeks, leading the record to generate the most fan reviews and site discussion there this year. Black Country, New Road were also declared Artist Of The Week and Album Of The Week by The Observer, The Line Of Best Fit and Stereogum, and saw features from the likes of NPR, Crack Magazine, Pitchfork, NME, Clash and more.
The new single, “Bread Song”, comes on the heels of the recent announcement of the band’s (Lewis Evans, May Kershaw, Charlie Wayne, Luke Mark, Isaac Wood, Tyler Hyde and Georgia Ellery) new album, which is set to land almost exactly a year to the day from the release of their debut. The band have harnessed the momentum from that record and run full pelt into their second, with ‘Ants From Up There’ managing to strike a skilful balance between feeling like a bold stylistic overhaul of what came before, as well as a natural progression.
The forthcoming album ‘Ants From Up There’ was announced alongside the infectiously chaotic yet coherent single “Chaos Space Marine”, which received a huge reaction from fans and media alike with publications such as NPR describing it as “a thrilling transcontinental epic,” and the Times calling them “one of the most exciting and unusual new bands in Britain.”
With ‘For the first time‘ the band melded klezmer, post-rock, indie and an often intense spoken word delivery. On ‘Ants From Up There‘ they have expanded on this unique concoction to create a singular sonic middle ground that traverses classical minimalism, indie-folk, pop, alt rock and a distinct tone that is already unique to the band.
‘Ants From Up There’ Tracklist
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
ADVT