Black Country, New Road

Ants From Up There

This album is beyond tragic. I went in not knowing what I was getting into, and wow this project is sad.

Every note, every space, every vocal is just strained and in pain. The only criticism I have to this project is it's so sad and in despair that I barely know what to do with it. It's so much for every track. I lost focus by the end due to how relentless this thing was.

Every song feels ambitious, well placed, and complete in its own way. It is a gorgeous listen that should not be written ... read more

If "For The First Time" was already fantastic, "Ants From Up There" is even more so. This new adventure is a real music lesson, it concentrates all the humanity in 58 breathtaking minutes.

[normally I never put more than 89 for a new release, because I have to test the album against time, but I had to make an exception for this one]

First of all I would like to give my support to BCNR and to the former leader Isaac Wood who has just left the band recently, I hope that ... read more

You know how I said that music in 2022 was not off to a great start a week ago? Okay, if God exists, this album is her apology.

The Windmill scene in Brixton, and post-punk as a whole, exploded last year, leading to a friendly competition of which band had the best album. I think most people would agree there were two standouts in particular, and while I certainly loved black midi’s album, for me, Black Country, New Road came out on top. The band’s jazzy, klezmer infused, ... read more

....Fucks SAKE

Twice. They were able to release two albums of near perfect material twice. To do it once? It’s possible. To do it once on your first try? That’s pretty goddamn special, and extremely hard to do. Even some of my favorite bands took a couple albums to come out with something I'd call a ten. To do it twice? In a fucking row? It’s near impossible, but it’s still doable. To have it done twice, in a row, and it be your first two records and then dip? What in ... read more

Enough to make a grown incel cry.

Where do I even start with a record of this magnitude? The only way I feel is right is to start at the beginning. Unknown to me prior to 2020, Black Country, New Road, the 7 person band based out of London getting ready to release their debut project, “For the first time”. Leading up to this release, I was blindsided to what was about to come next, my plan was only to listen to the album and rate it, and I thought I would be done. I had no idea ... read more

EDIT (2) HOLY FUCK OVER 70 LIKES?? THIS IS MY MOST LIKED REVIEW, AND ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES, THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!

*Lifts teacup and extends pinky* twas rather splendid, Henry. Splendid indeed.

EDIT (1) Through reading the various criticisms levelled at the writing of this album pertaining to the “melodramatic” lyrics, I came to the realisation that I didn’t really dig all that deeply into the lyrical themes of this record. Simply put, Chaos Space Marine ... read more

After listening to this album, I know 2 things for sure;

1. Isaac Wood will be sorely missed from the band, and I wish him all the support for the future.
2. ‘Basketball Shoes’ is preeetty much the song of the decade…

It’s fair to say BC;NR made something of a considerable impact on the AOTY community in 2021, kicking the year off with their massively hyped debut record, aptly titled ‘For the first time’. The album held my AOTY position for almost half ... read more

The drummer: "I feel like I haven't really got the chance to truly express myself throughout the album."
The band: "fine, just pick a random track and go completely cuckoo bananas on it."
*Snow Globes*

For some unknown reason I have yet to review my favorite album from last year, and in my opinion also one of the best albums of the decade so far. This band needs no introduction at this point, Black Country, New Road is easily one of my favorite bands working today. So ... read more

First 10 of the decade!

Hype isn't something that I let get to me... ever. I know how it looks; yet another AOTY user slapping this highly anticipated art rock album with a 100 less than a week since its release. How original! But seriously, I never let hype take over for anything. I rarely ever get truly hyped for new music releases. I may be interested, sure, but until I actually listen to the actual music I'm not going to have elevated expectations. But it was difficult not to be at least ... read more

Twice already, I’ve posted and removed a review of this album. Both times that I’ve done this so far, I grew to realize that what I had written in that review just didn’t properly articulate what this album means to me, even if my words came close to that. Now I’m here a third time, posting a review yet again, hoping that I finally get across what I think about ‘Ants From Up There’ by Black Country, New Road as best as I can simply through words—which I ... read more

Ants From Up There is an album that came at a specific moment in my life, a moment that has helped me to appreciate it in a more personal and reflective way, plus I have been able to listen to this album watching the sea and it has felt like an introspective journey in me, so it has touched bottom in me and I think this album could be my AOTY of this year, so I will tell you before continuing with my review, a little story of mine.

While I have always been of the idea that albums or rather ... read more

new white people album jus dropped

Till now, I've never given a perfect score. But after listening to Ants From Up There, I've figured out there is no real logic behind giving a 100/100. It's more of an intense moment of realization that your life will never be the same after experiencing an album. And that's exactly what I'm feeling right now. Everything about this project seems more grandiose than BC,RN's last. Whether that be the production or the shift away from the more spoken word approach vocally. Issac Wood takes ... read more

I first listened to this album when I was just getting into stepping outside of my “bubble” of music. For the most part I stuck with listening to things I was familiar with. This was mostly just indie pop music that, to be honest, sounded all the same. But when I gave this a listen, I couldn’t understand it. I liked “The Place Where He Inserted The Blade,” but I was really impatient and stopped listening after “Snow Globes” and I disregarded it as ... read more

out of every album i thought could become my all-time favorite, i'd never be able to predict it'd be this one. however, black country, new road has pulled out all the stops to make an absolutely flawless album. this band's chemistry and glue is as baseline perfect as you could ask for. every instrument in the mix always contributes to the swelling and morphing of the instrumentals, giving former frontman isaac wood an enormous canvas, over which he goes full send. his already-perfect ... read more

700th review! Perfect album for this occasion!

Black Country, New Road's debut album, For the first time was only released last year, but I knew right away that this band is something special and that whatever they release next, you're going to want to look out for. While FTFT was a great album, it was a short, rather disjointed one that had obvious influences, albeit manifested in a very unique way. I was hoping it wouldn't have been long until they truly came into their own sound, but I did ... read more

[PERFECT ALBUM REVIEW #4: Ants From Up There (2022)]

I think this is the fastest I’ve gone from knowing absolutely fuck all about a band to giving a perfect score for one of their albums. I first listened to this about a month ago and was blown away by it and even more so on subsequent listens. This is by far my longest review to date and was fairly difficult to write, but it's also one that I’ve really wanted to put out.

When I started to really get into this website a few ... read more

Hey everyone, this is my 100 follower special review. (I will eventually post the winner of my poll in about a week or so) (it's Kid A if anyone is wondering). I'm so sorry for the delay, there's been some stuff that's been going on in my life personally, but this album has invaded my mind during this time each and every day for the past month. If you've ever been in any type of relationship, you're going to connect with at least one of these songs or even just a lyric. Sometimes I feel that I ... read more

I...

(Video reaction out! Link in da bio)

Wow. I am speechless. Absolutely speechless. This album is absolutely fucking incredible. I never thought something could beat For The First Time because that album has been one of my favorite albums ever since I had heard it last year, but this... This is on another fucking level. This is one of the most confident 10's I have ever given in my life. There is not a single moment on this album where I am not floored in every way. I have been waiting for ... read more

Favourite: Snow Globes
Worst: Chaos Space Marine

1. Intro - [Not Included]
2. Chaos Space Marine - 9
3. Concorde - 10
4. Bread Song - 10
5. Good Will Hunting - 10
6. Haldern - 10
7. Mark’s Theme - 10
8. The Place Where He Inserted the Blade - 10
9. Snow Globes - 10
10. Basketball Shoes - 9

Average: 9.8
Quick Comment: What a surprise lol a sensational record. The movement and the different styles of production work along with it's complexity creates something that many others can, a ... read more

Após uma fantástica estreia que foi considerada por muitos como um dos melhores álbuns do ano passado, o seu segundo disco era muito esperado e criou-se grandes expectativas para este, e felizmente 'Ants From Up There' conseguiu superar todas as expectativas, trazendo um registro belo e extremamente bem elaborado que surpreendentemente conseguiu ser melhor que o 'For The First Time'.

Enquanto a estréia de Black Country New Road mostrava nos um som mais puxado ao ... read more

i haven't listened i just want to be negative

Holy, 100 reviews, that’s a lot of time writing about music huh? What kind of idiot would do such a thing right? Well, this idiot did, and to celebrate that, I’d like to talk about a record that I’ve already “reviewed” once, but the thing is, I wrote that review in a rush and never thought it did proper justice to how much I love this album that went on to become not only my favorite of 2022, but one of my favorites of all time, because as you can see by this ... read more

lol i’m never gonna have sex

update: i have to not like this album now 💯