Walking a fine line between pretentious and genius the new album comes out on the right side of the divide. Out on the 4th April.

In an age of homogenised music and culture Black Country, New Road come across like a breath of fresh air. Nobody is doing things quite like they do, there is a wide arrange of recorders and whistles involved in the making of this album, instantly giving distance from most indie bands out there. This is a complex record that rewards repeat listening. There are themes and motifs, opaque lyrics, whimsy and intensity.

The album begins with the glorious single ‘Besties.’ I can only describe it as one of the more unhinged tracks from The Beatles grand oeuvre placed through a baroque blender. It starts with a quick burst of harpsicord, or similar baroque keyboard instrument, before bursting into life with a full band, brass and harmonies, then settling down into a catchy stomp about a best friend that has just a hint of some kind of incident or fallout giving it a slight edge: “Wouldn’t want it any other way cause this feels… Bestie girl Take it back now! What you feel is the hole in your life And she’s probably right She’s probably right.”

‘Socks’ has the same kind of theatricality underpinning it that has propelled The Last Dinner Party and English Techer into the big leagues in recent years. BC,NR don’t need to rely on rock in the same way however. They can do slow and quiet, stuttering and staccato. They can do old-fashioned guitar-sounds, and they can also do pop. There is an intimacy weaved because of all of it. There is intrigue and suspense. ‘Socks’ is the first of four tracks that weighs in over six minutes. All of these tracks have room to breathe and explore, taking you on a journey between the start and finish.

There are a vast array of time signature shenanigans at work on ‘Salem Sisters.’ One can only feel that Kate Bush would heartily approve of it. ‘Two Horses’ is gorgeous, Tyler Hyde (daughter of Underworld’s Karl Hyde) shows amazing range and control on the lead vocals. Following on ‘Mary’ is equally beautiful, acoustic guitar coming to the fore and more of those amazing group harmonies. At times, the vocals threaten to go into an operatic range before a recorder solo comes in.

The brilliance continues with single ‘Happy Birthday.’ The roster of instruments and sounds continues to rotate and this one is underpinned with a real joyous happiness, trying to cheer up a child lost in the various miseries of the world.

Recent single ‘For The Cold Country’ sounds like nothing else released this year. Folk adjacent? Jazz adjacent? Baroque blues? You could spend weeks tyring to unpick the lyrics.

Whilst I don’t want to go in depth on every track I have got to mention ‘Nancy Tries to Take the Night.’ Starting with a simpler, almost Sufjan Stevens-esque guitar line before growling into life and intensity around the half-way mark. It is another standout track in an album full of standout tracks.

This could have been a terrible album. It would not have taken a lot for it to tip over into parody, cringe and disaster. This highly skilled outfit just keep steering past the potential pitfalls and come out on the other side with a borderline masterpiece. Some may find it too fiddly, too lacking in transparency or too pretentious. Stick with it, give it multiple listens and room to breathe and you will be rewarded with an outstanding album that has a reach and a stretch that few bands could aspire to. In a single word – astonishing.