Black Country, New Road - For the First Time (Album review)

It’s finally here; I honestly think I have been anticipating this album for more than two years at this point. After hearing Athens, France and Sunglasses what seems like a lifetime ago now I have been desperately waiting to hear more from Black Country, New Road. The band finally announced the album at the back end of last year and released the songs Science Fair and Track X as singles leading up to the album. Both of these tracks I did enjoy a lot but probably not quite as much as the first two songs the band released. I also have to admit I was a little nervous going into the album after seeing it was only six tracks long, meaning that before the album has even dropped I had already heard two thirds of the tracks.

Upon the album’s release however, for the most part my worries didn’t matter. The album is a perfect length, has some amazing song writing and a really unique and distinct sound. It’s really hard to slap a genre label on Black Country, New Road, it’s like the band have carved out this individual style of progressive post punk. They often get compared to post rock bands like Slint, which is fair to an extent but I think BCNR push the boat out even further adding things like alternative rock, experimental rock and even klezmer influences into the mix. The songs on For the First Time are generally long, often switching pace and style a few times across the songs length. The vocals are delivered with this kind of pained vibrato and often feature lyrics that are witty, pop culture reference heavy and semi-serious. I think the band are able to push the sound that most punk bands have as well due to the increased variety of instruments the band has to offer, BCNR are a seven piece outfit which includes a violinist and  saxophone player.

The album opens with the aptly titled Instrumental; the song is a frantic mix of klezmer inspired chaos. The drums on this song are expressive and intense and performance wise the whole band gets an opportunity to show off here. This is a perfect introduction to the bands energy; it’s all building up to a concentrated blast of an ending but still manages to stay surprisingly entertaining across its run time.

The second track is Athens, France which was the first song I ever heard by the band. Admittedly the song has been reworked for the album with a few minor changes mainly to the lyrics but the song itself has had a few tweaks. This song really shows how the band get creative with song structures, it starts off as a smooth post punk / math rock track then in the middle slows down to allow the saxophone and violin to curate this layer of anguish that the vocals croon on top off. There’s also a clever line in this track which I can only imagine is a Phoebe Bridgers reference. The song ends on a very melancholy and calm note that makes you feel like a captain going down with your sinking ship.

Science Fair has a lot more of a linear structure than the rest of the album, with most of the song being held in place by a foreboding drum and bass groove. I like the meta nature of this song, with the band not only acknowledging the fact they are compared to Slint but also referencing the fact they make a lot of references. About halfway through the song these hectic distorted guitars take front and centre that then dissolve away into an equally disturbing synth section that brilliantly carries on the tracks momentum. The song then ends with this really intense and heavy breakdown that is elevated to the next level by the intruding horns.

Next comes the track Sunglasses and I just want to say straight up I think this song is incredible. I am just completely in awe of the insane amount of changes of pace and style this song goes through across its almost ten minute run time. Another old song that’s gone under some slight reworking for the album and I do think it arguably sounds better for it. Sunglasses kicks off with some atmospheric distorted guitar which then transforms into a kind of solemn calm section allowing the vocals to shine. Within the songs many sections I think you can chop the song into two major parts, with the first half of the song feeling sadder and almost ripe with the feeling of accepting defeat, which is sold through the way in which the violin drones and the increasingly desperate twang to the vocals. The songs second major part is coated more in anger and confidence than anything else, after the song crashes and slows down at around the halfway point the vibe is completely changed when the guitar creeps back in. For me this is where the song really excels, with each section seemingly trying to outdo its predecessor eventually culminating in this wonderfully chaotic climax.  I don’t know what else I can say about this track, just please check it out if you haven’t already.

The albums pace is then completely changed on the unexpected Track X. This song sounds much closer to a song you would hear on Sufjan Steven’s Illinoise than on an album like this. It’s a very quaint and peaceful song with very delicate and precise instrumentation. I was on the fence with this song a little before the release of the album but now that I have it in context, I can really appreciate how beautiful and original the song is. It’s great to see the band are pushing themselves to create something unexpected and outside of the box.

Opus is the albums closer and believe me it is worth the wait. Another instance where the band work in klezmer influences, the energy on this song is truly unbelievable. It is a frantic and momentum driven track, giving you almost two minutes of frenzied instrumental before the vocals kick in. When they do though the song chills out a little but there isn’t long before it delves back into the hyper energy; it’s like all the band members are fighting with each other for dominance. The second half of the song is more of a build up to one of the best endings for a song I have ever heard, I can only describe it as a sort of half time breakdown that brings back all the songs key elements but in a much more twisted and demented way, which then suddenly dissipate for the last few seconds to end the album on an oddly calm and chilling note.  

I just can’t get enough of this album; I am really impressed with almost every aspect of For the First Time. I love how it can switch from delicate to intense within a split second. The band have managed to distinguish themselves musically so well in a time when it’s harder than ever to do so. You can see influences at times admittedly, such as from the previously mentioned Slint and the bands peers such as Black Midi but it’s impossible to argue BCNR’s sound isn’t original. When a band is this creative and ambitious on their debut album you can’t help but get excited for what they have in store down the line. For the First Time is album of amazing tracks, I just wish there was more.

87/100

Best tracks – Sunglasses, Opus, Athens France

Worst tracks - None