Sean: [00:00:00] Welcome to Earshifter. He's Rene Rouleau. 

Rene: And he's Sean Capstick. And Sean, why are we doing this? 

Sean: It's because we wanna talk about bands that we feel need more attention, that if you like them, maybe you'll learn something new, and if you've never heard of them, you're gonna get a good story about the band because we're gonna tell you a story, but maybe you'll find something you like musically as well.

Rene: Excellent, and today we're gonna talk about Black Country, New Road, and the thing is, like, this might be one of those episodes that, maybe or maybe not, you might be into them, you might not be, but you know what? Bottom line, the story is compelling. It 

Sean: is- It's pretty interesting ... it is an interesting story.

That's true. '

Rene: Cause, 'cause the teaser is it's really [00:01:00] two bands in one. Mm-hmm ... and, uh, we're gonna talk about, that in detail. But what I like about this band, like so many of our artists, Sean, is that they have a very, very indisputably unique sound. Both- Mm-hmm ... band number one, so-called, and band number two, both versions.

And they do something different. So maybe it doesn't always hit but I think that's exactly what pushing boundaries is all about is exploring and pushing it out there, and sometimes you hit, and sometimes you don't. But I like this band for them taking risks both band one and band two.

So what do I mean by band one and band two? Yes. 

Sean: Tell us. 

Rene: All right. We're actually gonna open with a demonstration of what band one and band two is, and what I'm talking about is the first two albums are under the founding member and lead vocalist Isaac Wood. And then after he departed they only have one album after that.

So let's listen to the original Black Country, New Road with him. [00:02:00] This is a nine-minute song, and by the way totally changes tempo midway. This song is called "Sunglasses." Let's hear that first, and then we'll hear the band post him. 

Sean: Okay, let's hear it.

clip: Jack of hearts. I am looking at you and you cannot tell I am more than the sum of my parts

I am looking at you with my best eyes and I wish you could tell. I wish all my kids would stop dressing up like Richard Hell. I am locked away in a high-tech, wraparound, translucent blue-tinted fortress, and you cannot touch me. I am invincible in the sun The cars are going beep, beep, beep. And there are so many roadmen on the street[00:03:00] 

in these sunglasses

Rene: Okay, so that song actually, believe it or not is almost over, but it actually builds even more and more until he's actually pretty much yelling at the top of his lungs at the end of it. Now let's hear same band, Black Country, New Road, but let's hear without the lead singer, and we'll talk about his departure.

[00:04:00] But let's hear For the Cold Country. 

Sean: With a new lead singer. Singers. 

Rene: Singers. Multiple. Yeah. It's a 2025 album but without Isaac Wood, and let's hear For the Cold Country[00:05:00] 

Okay, so that is the new band in quotation marks. And quite frankly, online fans are divided between the old- Mm-hmm ... and the new. But when I went to the show with your son it was a sold-out crowd at History in Toronto. So sold out means 2,500 people, right? Right. When you compare that to who we love, Courtney Barnett and Kevin Morby, like they weren't sold out and [00:06:00] these guys were.

And we'll get into the actual concert and what it was like a little bit later, but let's talk about that original band first. 

Sean: Okay. 

Rene: And where I kinda fell in love with them. So- Let's talk about what the bands have in common, the two bands, before and after. So it's the same remaining six members, and they're all multi-instrumentalists, and on stage very apparent.

The way they songwrite before and after Isaac Wood is democratic collaborative songwriting. So there, there has never been one person who brings the songs. They, they all collaborate from the beginning and decide as a group. And it's funny, I was listening to a Broken Record interview with them, and, uh, they said that poses its own challenges 'cause being a democracy of six people it can push you, it can, it...

but they're all friends at the end of the day, and that's kinda what they really hold onto is their friendship. 

Sean: Okay. Yeah. 

Rene: And then finally the third thing that they have in common is that it's that same chamber or [00:07:00] baroque pop, which we talked about in the Momus episode- Yep ... baroque pop instrument-rich avant-garde music orchestral in some ways, theatrical in others, and that's why we're playing song clips a little bit longer than we usually do.

So they might be a minute 20 versus 55, because you really need to feel those changes and the builds. So that's what they have in common. But obviously the main difference between the two, and it's probably apparent to you listeners, is the vocal delivery. Yes. So you got Isaac Wood doing that almost talk singing and he's kinda got a anxious sort of voice to him as well.

Yeah. But then the post-Isaac version features like shared lead vocals b- primarily between the three lead women Tyler Hyde, Mae Kershaw, and Georgia Ellery and, a- and Lewis Evans too. He, he does ch-chime in, but on stage it was very apparent that these were the three female vocalists, the three female leads.

And by the way, Tyler Hyde, fun fact, is the daughter of Underworld's [00:08:00] Karl Hyde. "Born Slippy," most famous song of Underworld. But also because they actually sometimes take lead singer roles, but they obviously, um, contribute on those songs. But whoever the lead singer is on that song writes the lyrics for that song, whereas Isaac wrote all the lyrics for the first two albums.

So those are the fundamental differences between the two bands, and you can hear how different they actually are. Yep. But I, what I loved, and your, your son Evan told me this before the show started, was when Isaac left, they refused to play any of the first two albums because they wanna honor his departure.

So they made a strict pact to never play Isaac-era songs live. 

Which, you know, is quite, is quite nice. But boy, I would have loved to have seen those songs live. That would've been really cool. Let's talk about the band and its formation. So, it was formed by graduates of art and music schools in Cambridge, England in 2018.

[00:09:00] That part doesn't surprise me very much given the scope of the music and- 

Sean: It's not do-it-yourself punk. 

Rene: It's not do-it-yourself punk. It's pretty sophisticated stuff. There are six band members. They added a seventh, and obviously Isaac left, so they came back to six. But many of the members started in a band called Nervous Conditions, which is a great name for a band, by the way.

I love that name, Nervous Conditions. That was in 2014 to 2018. But following multiple allegations of sexual assault against the frontman Connor Brown, Nervous Conditions split in early 2018. Obviously, he's not a part of the band anymore. But Isaac Wood becomes the lead singer, and they kinda reform with maybe a couple of additions to become Black Country, New Road.

Sean, why are they called Black Country, New Road? Ask- 

Sean: Just to be confusing, I think. Because there's new country and there's black roads, and they don't wanna [00:10:00] be new country, and being a black road would be just too obvious. So they decided to figure that, to switch them. 

Rene: Okay. I mean, that's 

Sean: a really good- To be an anagram that I hate, but a anagram of words.

Rene: Okay. Close, but not really that close. So it's named after a somewhat famous road in West Midlands in England. That road also goes by the name Black Country Spine Road. It was a new road to relieve congestion. So why are they named after that? Well, Isaac suggested it after using Wikipedia's random article button.

Sean: I didn't know there was a button on my- I didn't 

Rene: know either ... 

Sean: on my Wikipedia. 

Rene: The whole thing sounds sus because it's like- Okay ... what are the... To me, it sounds sus because it's like what are the odds of it hitting an England road if it's a random button? But anyway. 

Sean: Maybe they pushed it multiple times.

Maybe that's wh- he had a bigger button on his- Yeah, that's right ... Wikipedia. Yeah. 

Rene: That's right. Anyway, according to drummer Charlie Wayne, the band first performed with a band called Black [00:11:00] Midi, which your son also talked about that night that I saw Black Country, New Road. So they performed with a band called Black Midi in 2017 before Black Country had officially formed.

So it turns out that your son is actually a, a pretty big fan of- Mm-hmm ... Black Midi as well. 

Sean: Yep. 

Rene: And I had no idea he was a huge fan of Black Country, New... I knew he liked them, but I didn't know he liked them as much as he shared with me that he liked them. 

Sean: So when my sons bought me the record album player- Yes

again, right- Yes ... and I got all my old albums out The, and I'm gonna get confused now, the B- Black Country, New Road's album was one of the first albums that wasn't mine that got played on the record. Wow. So yeah, he bought that album. He wanted to hear it on the record player. And yeah, so he's, he's been a big fan for a long time, right?

Rene: Yeah. It was wild, man, because he's, like, going into this Black Midi [00:12:00] thing, and he's talking about... I'm like, "Dude, you should do our podcast. Like-" "... you know so much stuff." And then he, then he actually said, "Well, I'm a huge fan, and so that's why I know so much." I'm like, "Oh, okay. All right, cool." Yeah. So hopefully he likes this episode.

Okay, so Black Country, New Road released their first single. It's called Athens, France, and that's in 2019. And that's followed up with Sunglasses later, Sunglasses being the song we played the very first clip we played. So in 2020, they signed to Ninja Tune, and in 2021 released their debut album titled For the First Time.

The lead single Science Fair and then Track X, and Track X is the most-played song with 12 million listens. But I wanna hear a little bit of the six-minute song Science Fair. Okay. 

clip: I saw you undressing

Was that the Cirque du Soleil? And it was such an intimate [00:13:00] performance. I swear to God, you looked right at me and let a silk red ribbon fall between your hands

As I slowly sober up I felt the rubbing of shoulders. I smelled the sweat and the children crying. I was just one among crowded stands

Volts it through the gallery

Blood stains on my best white shirt and nothing to lose. Oh[00:14:00] 

Rene: Okay, so at this point, it's pretty obvious that Isaac has kind of a talk singing vocal style. And what's interesting about that is Black Country, New Road became the centerpiece of a new scene of British rock bands rooted in that experimental post-punk with the talk-singing vocals. So some of the contemporaries, I've mentioned Black Midi already, but there's also a band called Squid.

There's a band called Dry Cleaning, Sean- Yep ... I don't know if you've heard of them. I, I've heard of 

Sean: them, yeah. 

Rene: Yeah. I've 

Sean: heard of Dry 

Rene: Cleaning, yeah. Might do an episode on them one day. Maybe, 

Sean: yeah. 

Rene: Who, who knows? A band called Shame, and a band called Yard Act, which I think you saw live recently. I saw it 

Sean: live, and I thought they were amazing.

They have, they [00:15:00] have the sock- the talk singing, but a sense of humor that goes a l- that goes a long way as opposed to the very dramatic Black Country, New Road. Yeah. Yes. 

Rene: Yeah, there's nothing funny about Black Country New Road. No. I cannot find anything funny about them. But I do, I do love them, but they are no, um...

Yeah, they're no Courtney Barnett or- Yeah ... or Kevin Morby in terms of the humor or, or the videos, right? Yeah. Video for this one, by the way, pretty hardcore. Okay, so this whole scene here was considered an emerging wave of British rock music known as the Windmill scene. It went by a couple other names, won't get into it.

Uh- 

Sean: No, let's get into it. 

Rene: Oh, you know? 

Sean: Because I think, like, why Post-punk is an oxymoron, right? Because as we've discussed in the past, right, punk was over as soon as it was made, right? Yeah. As soon as [00:16:00] the new groups were not concerned with what there is to be learned, right? So punk, y- there's no post-punk.

You can be- 

Rene: Whoa ... 

Sean: hardcore. 

Rene: Are we getting into that 

Sean: discussion? Holy shit. It can be hardcore. It can be- Wow ... you know, something else punk. But, you know, the, the, the- It's a 

Rene: big word, 

Sean: post-punk ... it's post-punk, and it, and there's, it's a broad genre. It, it's also referred to as post-rock. Yeah. Right? 

Rene: Yes. 

Sean: And, come on.

There's... What's post-rock? Rock and roll will never die, right? So you can't be... You know, I can be post-modern, I can be post-ironic I don't think you can be post-rock. '

Rene: Cause we're in rock. '

Sean: Cause we're in rock. Yeah, 'cause, 'cause it is. That's what we're talking about. Well, that's- 

Rene: So- That's so funny, Sean.

So yeah, I, I, I am the same as you, man. Like, I've gone, I've literally Googled, "What the fuck is post-punk exactly?" And you know, there are some n- nebulous definitions out there, but I get frustrated with the term as well. 

Sean: It's too broad. 

Rene: Yeah. 

Sean: So we've gotta be a [00:17:00] little more. I like the term that I read about this.

It's crank wave. 

Rene: Oh, that's cool. 

Sean: And Maybe it's- Does it feel crank up? Like the last song- No, I think it's more- ... it cranks up ... I think it's more, it was probably coined by someone kind of a misanthropically like myself, that, the, the talk-singing style is almost like of a bit of a crank. Somebody who's freaking out in their- Oh

Therapist office, and that is definitely part of these first two albums. Now, how much did you like The Fall? 

Rene: Not as much as you, I know that for a fact. But I, I like them, but you love them. 

Sean: So, and not as much as some people, right? I mean, I would, you know, like, I think I'm a fan, but there's... If you like The Fall, you like them a lot.

And e- I think Mark E. Smith was, you know, he had so many genres. They had, you know, but he really had that sing-talk style, and he was a misanthrope. He was a curmudgeon. So [00:18:00] I think modeling it after that I think is good. That's appropriate, right? In terms of, The crank 

clip: rock? 

Sean: The crank rock. 

Rene: Yeah, that's cool.

I like it. 

Sean: But- 

Rene: It also cranks up, at least for Black Country, New Road, kind of the, the energy cranks up- Yeah ... as well, so it's both. 

Sean: It's both. But the other thing, the band that they have been compared to, and it made me go back and listen to them, is Slint. Now, I sent you just that one Slint song Listeners, if you haven't heard The Fall, then, you know, that's a big ask to jump into what The Fall is.

But Slint only released two records. Listen to the second one. It is a prototype of what Band One is about. 

Rene: And when was Slint, approximately? '

Sean: 91. '

Rene: 91, yeah. Yeah. Wow. 

Sean: So- 

Rene: Quite the precursor ... 

Sean: American band. They were broke, came out of Squirrel Bait. Do you remember Squirrel Bait? They loved punk. I love Squirrel Bait from Louisiana Kentucky.

And then they [00:19:00] released, like, this big ambient spacey next record that was, ... And then they broke up again and, and actually went on to pretty cool a whole bunch of other projects. But yeah that I think is a, it is a good basis to understand what crank rock circa 2010s is about. 

Rene: Okay.

Excellent. I love that whole rant, dude. That was great. Yeah. 

Sean: So let's not just leave it at windmill rock and leave it there, please. And post-punk. 

Rene: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Okay. So crank rock it is. I love that. But so now let's move on to their sophomore album where Isaac's talk singing continues, of course.

He's crank, if you will. And the album is called Ants from Up There. This album gets serious, serious acclaim. Metacritic I probably reference more than you. Yes, you do. It gives it ... Well, because, uh It doesn't matter. That's a whole other discussion, whether critics matter or [00:20:00] not. But it gets a 92 out of 100.

So Metacritic is an aggregator of a bunch of critics and it gets a 92 out of 100. I don't think we've done one where they got a 92 out of 100 before. No. It's the third most critically acclaimed album of 2022. Pitchfork gives an 8.4 out of 10, and Pitchfork's Ian Cohen compared it to adjacent masterpieces like Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Titus Andronicus' The Monitor, which I'm not familiar with.

You probably are. 

Sean: I, yeah, I, I, I l- like Titus Andronicus, but I find them all the same, so- Okay ... I've listened to one. I don't know if I've listened to that album. Fair 

Rene: enough. Fair enough. And then another band we've covered, Car Seat Headrest's- Yep ... uh, Teens of Denial. So they're in good company. UK album charts, it hits number three, UK independent album charts, it hits number two.

But comparatively, US independent album charts, it hits number 35, and this is kind [00:21:00] of a theme for me. I, I get a little frustrated because why is the UK so much cooler than NA, North America? For instance, my, my British 

Sean: friend- Because they have chips and pubs? 

Rene: Yeah, maybe. I don't know. Or they just have spoken English longer than us?

I don't know. But 

Sean: my- They care more? 

Rene: I think they care more. Maybe that's it. Maybe it's not as corporately driven. I don't know. But I have a British friend named Rachel, uh, who listens to us- Mm-hmm ... I think religiously. And she is solely responsible for introducing me to Stereophonics way, way back. And that was her just really getting warmed up.

She's really into Kneecap, very modern contemporary band. Not my cup of tea personally, but again way more popular and controversial in the UK. And she knows most of the bands we've covered in the podcast, including The Joy Formidable where she actually sent us a recent concert poster of theirs- Nice

which, uh, was pretty cool. So I don't know, man. I think the [00:22:00] UK just knows a little bit more than we do when it comes to music or something like that. In some ways, I feel like they're almost ahead of us all the time. But Maybe at this point we've lost all our US and Canadian fans in one fell swoop.

I don't know, but maybe we gained 400,000% in UK fans. I don't know. 

Sean: Or maybe our, I think our US and Canadian fans try hard. So I think we've- Yes ... got the s- the good- I like that. Yes ... uh, representatives of our continent. 

Rene: Yeah, and maybe l- listeners feel the same as us. Mm-hmm. Right? Okay. But on that note, and on a brighter side the band did note that during the recording process of Ants From Up Here they were influenced by Arcade Fire's Funeral, which is a Canadian band.

They were influenced by Sufjan Stevens' Illinois. Great album. American. I love both those albums. Arthur Russell's Iowa Dream. I don't know that one. Sean, do you know that one? Nope. No. And then Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever, which is [00:23:00] I'm a Billie Eilish fan myself. So there you go. So it's good influences from North America to the UK.

Many of the album's tracks stem from the initial writing sessions between Wood, Hyde, and guitarist Luke Mark, because they lived together during the first COVID lockdown. 

So while working on the song Goodwill Hunting, the band-- I did this for you, buddy. The band was listening to Kurt Vile.

Okay. So that song was in- inspired by Kurt Vile. And blended Midwest emo, jazz, and grunge textures. We're not gonna listen to that one but I did wanna do, give that shout-out for you. We're not gonna listen to that one, but it is on our playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, so listeners, you can listen to it there on our playlist.

Okay, so the second album. Pretty good, right? Like serious acclaim, right? Pretty exciting, right? Not so much, because just four days before that album's release, Isaac Wood announces his departure from the band, [00:24:00] citing mental health reasons. He clarified he was still on good terms with the band, and the band is with him.

The remaining members actually won't play any of his songs out of respect for him. But both the European and their very first US tour is canceled. And we've mentioned this already, but Sean- Yep. ... what is going on with me and my Neutral Milk Hotel and, uh, My Bloody Valentine? Uh- Yep ... Kevin Shields did the same thing.

Goes a little off. I don't know what that is, but I think it just is. 

Sean: I think it is something. And yeah, embrace it, Rene. You embrace the crank rock. 

Rene: Yeah. So before we move on to their most recent album after his departure, let's listen to one more song on that second album. Isaac famously didn't talk about or explain his lyrics, Sean, but many interpret the next song we're gonna play, and it's, the song is called Concord.

So on the interwebs and listeners, if you're young, the Concorde [00:25:00] was a plane, and it ultimately was destined to cra- destined to crash in Paris. No, 

Sean: it didn't. Did it crash? Paris- 

Rene: Okay. Yeah, 

Sean: okay, yeah ... 2000. I, I checked it out. Yeah. Okay, yeah. I mean, it failed as a plane. Yeah. People didn't, people wanted supersonic flight, and then people said, "I don't wanna pay for it." 

Rene: Yeah. It's a lot of money. 

Sean: Yeah. It's a lot of money. Yeah. But it, it w- it was a cool-looking plane. 

Rene: Very cool-looking plane. So the song Concord, they're saying is, you know, magnificent forward-thinking plane, but it did crash. And they retired the Concorde ultimately when...

And some on the interwebs feel it was a metaphor for Wood's own overwhelming relationship with sudden fame and him having to leave. 

Sean: And is that the bag? Is that the airplane in the bag on the record? Like, it's such a weird record. Oh, 

Rene: it's, I don't, I don't know. I don't know what... I- It's in a Ziploc, right?

Yeah, 

Sean: and there's- Yeah, and there's like a little kid's airplane. It doesn't look like a Concorde to me. No, 

Rene: it's definitely not the Concorde plane. But let's listen to a song- Okay ... of, of the Concord, the song itself. I was made to love you. 

clip: Can't you tell? And [00:26:00] you, like Concorde, I came. A

light blue sleeper, and I laid dead or twitching for most of the night

But I know that you'll be there

Sad man inside[00:27:00] 

Rene: Okay, so that's Concord. But let's, let's talk about Black Country and how the band bounced back and did do a European tour and an American tour later in 2022 supporting Black Midi. Again, that band they first played with I think very, their very first performance they ever did. So the- what they did was they played new material and some covers and it became an actual live album that they released.

But they haven't really fully recorded a new album yet, so they didn't have a ton to play on that tour because of that respectful commitment they have to Isaac Woods. But in 2025, they do release their third album. But one could really argue that it's their first album, right? Because they're kinda newly formed, and the album is called Forever How Long.

How Long is one word. Don't ask me why. I have no idea. [00:28:00] So in the recording studio, they were still kind of finding their new direction without that former lead singer, but they got there with what is being described as kind of alternative rock, indie rock, folk, progressive rock, baroque rock, and which is kinda like rock and classical music combined, if no one knows that.

Sean: I think this is way more like Arcade Fire than the previous two albums, right? I think this has got more of that orchestration than the, where there's a more driving beat. But this is more like The Roaches in terms of the female singers alternating the lyrics and, and singing in harmony, right?

Yeah. It's a very different s- lyric style than the first two albums because the person's gone. I think it's great that they have stepped up like that. 

Rene: Yeah, and I, I agree. And, and again, they're very different bands, right? And, and performing live, I mean, maybe we just talk about that right now, uh, 'cause we saw this [00:29:00] tour I saw it with your son Evan about a week ago.

And, uh, so first off, yeah, history was sold out. Mm-hmm. Crazy. And this, dude, this was a young crowd. I mean, the average age was mid to late 20s. 

Sean: Yep. 

Rene: And this is the funniest part. I don't know why, Sean, but it was over-indexing with tall people. Like, it was... I could not, like, find space to... And I moved around.

There were a lot of tall people in that audience. Hmm. I don't know. Maybe, maybe it's the mid-20s, late 20s. Maybe they're getting taller. No idea. 

Sean: They certainly have been eating healthy, you know? Yeah. And, uh, uh, you know, like, I think that's good. Uh, keep it up, young- Youngsters ... people. Young people.

Yeah. Yeah, 

Rene: yeah, yeah. 

Sean: I'm sorry I couldn't join you, that I was off on an adventure. I think you had a better time with one of my sons than with me. But, Black Midi is broken up as well, I believe, and it's now Geordie, the singer from Black Midi. He was playing at the concert hall [00:30:00] Which, I walk past on my way home.

The Concert Hall's a, a lovely venue here in the city, and it was packed as well. Like, the lineup was v- you know, very long, and a lot of people were lined up early to get into it, and it was, the crowd was earnest in terms of their love for the band. So was that the same thing that you could tell in the, the, the- Yeah

at The History? 

Rene: 100%. And like, dude, the li- because I did wanna see the opening band, H- Horse Girl. Shout out to Horse Girl. Which is cool. Love Horse Girl. And I wanted to see the opening band, and the lineup, man, was insane around the building. It took s- so long to get in that we'd missed the first two songs of Horse Girl, but- Hmm

it was packed. Also, just side note, I hadn't smelt that much patchouli since I was in my 20s. There was a lot of patchouli-smelling people. I don't know. I don't know what to tell you, man. It's just what I smelt. 

Sean: I don't know what patchouli is. 

Rene: So- Oh, patchouli's, like, kind of a hippie sort of oil [00:31:00] that- 

Sean: Oh, 

Rene: okay

that they would put on their wrists or whatever instead of perfume. 

Sean: Um- Oh, and it's an essential oil? 

Rene: Yeah. It's like one of- Okay ... those '60s things. Yeah. Like, if you were dropping acid, you would put patchouli on. Uh, that's- Hmm. 

Sean: Okay. 

Rene: Yeah. 

Sean: Life is strange, 

Rene: isn't it? Yeah. It kind of comes full circle, right? Yep.

So and then on stage it was three women, three men obviously. All six multi-instrumentalists on stage. It's crazy, including, dude, the drummer. The drummer who paused on his drums and played banjo at one point, which I've never seen before in my life. That was pretty wild. 

Sean: He played it on the riser?

Rene: Yeah, he just stood up- 

Sean: Standing on his drums. 

Rene: D- no, just sat on his drums and played the 

Sean: banjo. Okay. 

Rene: I think he sat. He may have stood up. I don't know. But at some points there was the three lead female singers harmonizing, which was very cool and beautiful, and there was some banter, Shawn. Uh- Oh, 

Sean: you love the banter.

Rene: I love the banter, man, on stage. And then there wasn't a ton, but the drummer, [00:32:00] and this is funny 'cause folks, just a little background quick. History is a new, relatively new venue, maybe the last five years. And it's partially funded by Drake. Mm-hmm. Yes, Drake. You know who Drake is. Uh, so the drummer actually said, said, "Shout out to Drake."

He doesn't say why. He just goes, "Shout out to Drake." And, uh, and then he joked and he said, "He's, he's up there in the VIP, but don't look up. He, we don't wanna embarrass him," and, and then they just moved on. But it, it was, it was a really fun-- Everyone lolled. It was a pretty funny moment. And yeah, so that was pretty cool.

But let's get back to the album we were talking about, which is the most recent album. And the producer was a guy named James Ford. Do you know who James Ford is? I'm, I don't mean to put you on the spot. No, I don't. 

Sean: No. 

Rene: A member of The Last Shadow Puppets and a band called Simian Mobile Disco. But What you will know is he produced Arctic Monkeys- 

Sean: Okay

Rene: Florence and the Machine, Depeche Mode, Blur, Foals, and Fontaines- [00:33:00] Mm-hmm ... D.C.? Yeah. So this album, their third album, but really their first album without Isaac Wood debuted at number three on the UK album charts and number one on the UK independent charts, and 135 on the US Billboard charts marking their first appearance on that chart.

Got an 83 on Metacritic, a 7.5 on Pitchfork. We're gonna hear a song called Happy Birthday, which is one of my favorite songs on the album. 

Sean: Okay.[00:34:00] 

Rene: Okay, so that's the second most played song on the album at 5 million listens at the time of this record. First song, "Besties," is the most played at 8 million, but we all know there's a mentality of listening to the first song. The first song always gets the most plays- Mm-hmm ... other than the hits, 'cause that's what people do.

And that kinda rounds it up. [00:35:00] In terms of this band or two bands in one, if you will, I believe they are an EarShifter band because in both cases they push the boundaries, and that's kind of what EarShifter is all about, is do something different and- Mm-hmm ... and push those boundaries. And, at 800,000 monthly listeners, I feel like they deserve more than 800,000 monthly listeners.

And once again, half of them probably are in the UK because North America just can't catch up. 

Sean: And for our Asian listeners, where are they big in Asia yet? This is a market that they can- I mean, Australia ... 'cause they have strong feelings. I mean, this, this is what I gotta respect, you know, you Evan, and there's a lot of people that are like, "Yeah,

the, the- these guys are really..." They do emote out of their listeners. So if they can be emotive good for them. 

Rene: Yeah, emotive and different, right? [00:36:00] Yep. Doing it in a different way. So- So that's it for Black Country, New Road, part one and part two basically. Sean, what are we 

Sean: gonna hear- And what are they gonna do?

Do you know what they're gonna do next? Like, have they said they're gonna record more albums? Like, have they, they're fully committed to being part two moving forward? Do you know? Like- 

Rene: Yeah, as far as I know, yeah, they are, they're fully committed and to... And they're having fun, and they're, they're good f- they really talk about their friendship, the six of them.

Like, they're good friends, and they wanna continue. 

Sean: Well, that's great. 

Rene: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Sean, what are we gonna hear next? 

Sean: Well, I b- let's continue on your theme that you've started about the talk-sing style, and this band's a little bit more lyrically driven than Black Country, New Road's. But you compared them, listeners, so astute listeners, you mentioned them.

And their song about sunglasses I think speaks more to being, feeling [00:37:00] invincible in the sunglasses. The lead singer describes herself as a woman in aviators firing a bazooka, so I think that's a better use of sunglasses. So stay tuned, and we'll hear more lyrical gems from the, uh, our upcoming band.

Rene: Excellent. 

Sean: Okay. Till next time. 

Rene: We hope you enjoyed this episode of EarShifter. Tune in next time, where we'll cover another band that deserves more. You can find EarShifter on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Friend us or listen to our playlist on Spotify, and visit earshifter.com for more information. A special thanks go to our logo designer, Stuart Thursby, and our intro/outro music by Joe Novak.

You can find him as byebyebadman, one word, on SoundCloud. And a big shout-out to Joe for being our awesome sound engineer/editor. Until next [00:38:00] time.