Fresh off the announcement that they’ll release their new album Ants From Up There in February, Black Country, New Road have delivered a second single from the album. “Bread Song” has been a live staple for a while, and has gorwn to cult status among their devotees, who will be delighted to hear the final recording. The band’s Isaac Wood reveals:
“We wanted to do the first chorus with no time signature. I went to see Steve Reich do Music for 18 Musicians and there’s a piece where a bar length is determined by the breadth of the clarinet player, they just play until they run out of breath. I wanted to try that with the whole band, where we don’t look at each other, we don’t make too many cues, we just try and play without time – but together.”
Indeed, the opening portion of “Bread Song” is without any kind of beat, just long, drawn-out notes underscoring Wood’s words. It gives the song an isolated, free-floating beauty – like someone alone in space looking back at the Earth, and their lives.
It’ll take several spins to get to the bottom of what Wood is singing about, so why not take your first below – or on your preferred platform.
Ants From Up There is out through Ninja Tune on February 4 – check out the various pre-order options HERE. You can find Black Country, New Road on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
