Black Country, New Road have dropped one of the best albums of the year in the form of For The First Time. The 10-minute spectacle that is the slow burning experimental ‘Sunglasses’ has been doing the rounds since 2019, but the likes of ‘Opus’ and ‘Track X’ have shown that this band are much more than their debut single. Influences felt on the album range from minimalism and metal all the way to klezmer and experimental classical music. Even after the release of their six-track debut album, Black Country, New Road have continued to impress. Arguably their strangest song yet, ‘Chaos Space Marine’, has been recently followed by the restrained, emotive singles ‘Concorde’ and ‘Bread Song’. These tracks will find a home on their upcoming second album, Ants From Up There, which will also treat fans to studio versions of live favourites like ‘Snow Globes’ and ‘Basketball Shoes’. -Dan Peeke