Rising from the ashes of Nervous Conditions, Black Country, New Road have been biding their time, creating terrifyingly innovative jams from their Cambridge base. With only a handful of well-attended live shows and some impressive support slots under their collective belts, BCNR’s first public offering arrives courtesy of Speedy Wunderground, the consistently excellent concept label of record producer royalty Dan Carey. If you’re lucky enough to have already caught them live, you still won’t recognise ‘Athen’s, France’, which was only fully realised the night before their recording session. Dealing with the intimate subject of being afraid of sex, singer/guitarist Isaac Wood reels off pop-culture references and exposes his own insecurities with a tortured snarl, as his competent band mates provide a demented backdrop that Slint would be proud of. Black Country, New Road will headline the infamous Brixton Windmill alongside a stellar line up including Sistertalk and Pregoblin on the 2nd of February in support of Independent Venue Week. -Holly Mullineaux