Black Country, New Road

Black Country, New Road (commonly abbreviated to BCNR or BC,NR) are an English art rock and post-rock band formed in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire in 2018. The original founders of the band consisted of Tyler Hyde (vocals, bass), Lewis Evans (vocals, flute, saxophone), Georgia Ellery (violin, backing vocals), May Kershaw (vocals, keys), Charlie Wayne (drums, backing vocals) and Isaac Wood (guitar, lead vocals); they added their then-seventh member, guitarist Luke Mark, in 2019.

The band gained initial attention through debut singles “Athens, France” and “Sunglasses” in 2019, which combined features of experimental rock, post-punk and post-rock, drawing comparisons to bands such as Slint and contemporaries Black Midi. Their debut album For the First Time, released in 2021, received widespread critical acclaim, was nominated for the Mercury Prize and reached No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. Four days before the release of their 2022 second album Ants from Up There, Wood left the band, citing mental health struggles. The album received further critical acclaim and commercial success, debuting at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and being featured on several year-end album lists.

Following the departure of Wood, the band immediately began work on new material, with Hyde, Evans and Kershaw sharing lead vocal duties. After touring throughout 2022, the band released the concert film Live at Bush Hall, in February 2023 (followed by an album in March of that year), featuring several new compositions and songs that had been written since Wood’s departure.

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