It’s unfortunate to hear of a band going through troubles. You can only wish them the best and support them how you can, usually through experiencing their music.

This is the pervasive feeling that weighs on top of British rock band Black Country, New Road, and their sophomore album “Ants From Up There.” The album was released a year after their first album “For the First Time.” This will be the last album to include vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood, citing mental health reasons for his departure.

If you or someone you know needs a mental health resource, the hotline for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is 1-800-662-4357.

“Ants From Up There” is a phenomenal piece of musical art, which is especially impressive as it’s the band’s second album. The refrain expressed throughout coupled with moments of intense emotion released in bursts creates an album that reaches into the depths of ourselves.

The album consists of 10 songs running for nearly an hour. Except for a couple, almost every song is five minutes or longer, with the final three songs filling up half the time. Each song acts like a mini-opus within the larger album, with the songs following their own highs and lows as they progress.

Wood’s vocals prevail over the entire album. It’s a strangely beautiful experience to listen as he strains his voice, not to hit impossible notes but to capture the proper emotion that he portrays in his songwriting. The sense of longing mixed with his somewhat casual singing style works to great effect, not to mention when he goes all out and sings with his entire chest. He captures these feelings of anxiety, fearfulness and loneliness within his voice.

This matches with the tone of the lyrics and the songs as well. A few of the songs discuss relationships, mostly from the perspective of the singer and the one-sidedness that they are experiencing. They put everything that they have into it and receive little in return, but they realize that and are trying to move on.

Some of the other songs discuss notions of isolation and loneliness, the people who cut themselves off from the world around them before allowing a select few to enter in. This is most prominent in “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade,” which is all in all a beautiful song.

One of the main themes within every song is wanting to get away, to pack up and fly somewhere else. This is evident with the title of the album, the plane on the album cover and the song “Concorde.” It evokes the motif of the Concorde plane throughout and its ability to take anyone anywhere. It’s an escape from the prevalent and depressing nature of the world around us.

All of this works in tandem with the instrumentals on the album. Different sounds come into play throughout the duration of the album, with wood, brass, string and percussion all being thrown in for good measure. Although that almost sounds like a mess at times, it works to create an ethereal quality. The piano, saxophone, violin, guitar, bass and drums blend perfectly with Wood’s vocals to capture these intense emotions.

It helps that the album almost seems to exist in isolation, with the only things existing being the sounds and vocals that enter in when necessary. It makes each and every instrument stand out while simultaneously working together. These build towards moments that act as cathartic musical releases, fully expressing the emotions of the songs. It’s utterly breathtaking at times.

Examples include “Haldern,” “Concorde” and “Bread Song.” Honestly, the last three songs, “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade,” “Snow Globes” and “Basketball Shoes,” are all exemplary in this regard. They start slower and more somber, but as these long songs progress they build and build until everything is firing on all cylinders. These are the songs you yellingly sing along to in your parked car after a bad day, allowing you to experience a catharsis like no other.

“Ants From Up There” is triumphant. It’s raw, intense, devastating, destructive, heartbreaking, profound and beautiful. It’s an incredible experience from start to finish, and it’s sure to leave you lost, confused and breathless as a result.

There almost seems to be no way of properly discussing this album. Listening to it, there are buzzwords and descriptions that I could use, but nothing seems to truly capture the album. Outside of listening to it yourself, there are only comparisons to be made. The band themselves cited Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire and Billie Eilish as influences, the latter of which being named dropped quite often.

An image popped into my mind while listening to the album for the first time.

It felt like a musical performance in a derelict pub, filled with hazy smoke and the smell of alcohol. It’s filled to the brim with people there exclusively to see the band perform. The band begins and plays for an hour straight: every imperfection is purposeful, every emotion is fulfilled and every aspect works as intended. The band bounces between their instruments, throwing everything at the wall.

They play with proficiency and grace, with the knowledge of how their instruments work instilled within themselves to the point where they know when to start, stop, play more and play less, all in tandem with everyone else. The crowd cries out along with the singer, never missing a line.

The performance ends in a cacophony of sound and emotion, with everyone gasping for air after holding their breath due to their astonishment at the entire performance. It’s one of the most unforgettable acts ever seen, and it will never occur again.

Black Country, New Road has made an astonishing album. It’s unclear what the future will hold for them, but for now, they’ve created a stellar sophomore record.

It’s highly unlikely, but if you’re reading this Isaac Wood, I hope you’re doing okay. Don’t push yourself. I’d rather you never make music again than to see you suffer to meet others’ expectations and ruin yourself in the process. Your mental health is important, and I’m glad to see that you’re taking time away to focus on that.

You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. The only thing I have to go on is the music that you’ve helped to create, and it’s a phenomenal accomplishment. For that, I thank you as well as the rest of the band.

Stay well.