Black Country, New Road are back with “Happy Birthday,” the latest new song from their upcoming album Forever Howlong.
With a similarly jubilant attitude as lead single “Besties,” “Happy Birthday” finds the English six-piece employing their brand of baroque, folk-influenced alternative rock; as usual, though, they consistently offset their own phrases with sharp musical changes, stop-start momentum shifters, and a tonal mix of major and minor chords.
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Meanwhile, bassist and vocalist Tyler Hyde brings an operatic force to “Happy Birthday,” and admits that she was inspired by the group’s prior single when crafting the song. “When I wrote ‘Happy Birthday’ I had Georgia’s song ‘Besties’ in my head,” Hyde said in a press release. “Therefore, the structure of it is heavily influenced by it.”
The song also arrives with a remarkable stop-motion music video directed by Lesley-Anne Rose. The visual follows two birds in a forest as they attempt to escape a band of hunters; all the while, Rose’s extraordinarily detailed character designs and set pieces are on full display. Watch the video below.
Forever Howlong, Black Country, New Road’s third studio album, arrives on April 4th. We named the upcoming release one of our most anticipated albums of 2025. The band also has a large slate of 2025 North American tour dates coming up in support of Forever Howlong. See their tour dates below and get tickets here.
Black Country, New Road 2025 Tour Dates:
05/13 – Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed
05/14 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
05/16 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom ^
05/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
05/19 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
05/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
05/22 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
05/23 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
05/24 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theater
06/07 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
08/15 – Paredes De Coura, PT @ Paredes De Coura
08/17 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival
08/28 – 08/31 – Dorset, UK @ End Of The Road
09/11 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
09/12 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
09/15 – Dublin, IRE @ Olympia
09/18 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
09/20 – Gateshead, UK @ The Glasshouse
09/22 – Bristol, UK @ Beacon
09/24 – Cambridge, UK @ The Corn Exchange
10/09 – Paris, FR @ Casino De Paris
10/10 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
10/12 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10/14 – Cologne, DE @ Gloria
10/15 – Berlin, DE @ Astra
10/17 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
10/18 – Stockholm, SWE @ Fallan
10/19 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene
10/21 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo
10/22 – Prague, CZ @ Roxy
10/23 – Lausanne, SWI @ Les Docks
10/25 – Milan, ITA @ Magazzini Generali
10/26 – Lyon, FR @ Epicerie Moderne
10/28 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
10/30 – Brighton, UK @ Brighton Dome
10/31 – London, UK @ O2 Brixton Academy
^ = supporting St. Vincent
