Clocking in at a whopping 9 minutes and 12 seconds, Black Country, New Road have
dropped a fourth single, ‘Snow Globes‘, from their upcoming sophomore album Ants From Up There.
Compared to the other three singles that have been released, ‘Snow Globes’ is by far the
calmest and is perfect for my morning walks to campus through crowds of commuters.
Coincidentally, it is also the same length as my walk to campus. The calming aura of the
song is built up in an intro of over 3 minutes: first a driving guitar riff is joined by a smooth
bass part which seems to grow from deep within the mix; next soft horns and ethereal
vocals create soothing melodies; topped off by the drums performing orchestral fills and
crescendos. I have definitely missed instruments here but whatever is playing in the intro combines beautifully.
When lead singer Isaac Wood finally embarks on his signature stream of consciousness
lyricism, the track continues and continues to build – enhanced by the depth of emotion within Wood’s vocals.
By 6 minutes, we are deep in Black Country, New Road’s comfort zone, a clash of
instruments and vocals that just shouldn’t sound coherent and yet it does, and it does so with an incredible skill.
With an outro descending back into the silence that the intro brought us out of, ‘Snow
Globes’ is a soothing contrast from the wonderfully manic feeling of previous single ‘Chaos
Space Marine’ and is an exciting look at how varied the album is shaping up to be.
From Ants Up There drops on February 4th 2022, followed by a headline show for the band at London’s Roundhouse on February 8th.
Words by Joe R