Her Name Is Calla - The Heritage
[Gizeh Recordings]

Having redefined the term epic with earlier singles 'Condor' and 'A Moment of Clarity', Her Name Is Calla, through no fault of their own, find themselves inexplicably at the difficult mini-album stage. A phrase usually reserved for bands approaching the dreaded second album, the brilliance of previous HNIC outings has seen the band land at this period somewhat prematurely.

Expectations may be high but this Leicester/Leeds based quartet do not let the pressure tell on 'The Heritage'. In fact they have upped the ante, roping in a cellist and trumpeter to bolster their sound, while adding the string section from The Monroe Transfer for the brilliant 'New England'. Add to this the fact that the band recently blew The Twilight Sad off the stage on their own headline tour (described on these pages as a “ritualistic” experience) and Her Name Is Calla are suitably poised to claim the accolade of Britain’s next great band.

This six-track affair (seven if you count hidden track 'Long Distance Runner') is as intense as it gets. Should that have read immense? Perhaps, for 'The Heritage' is a stunning collision of rock instrumentation and brass and string arrangements culminating in a tidal wave of emotions. Traversing from euphoria to despair via sorrow, joy, pain and hope. The likes of the aforementioned 'New England' and 'Nylon' are doused in dramatic discordant atmospherics, while being suffused with a gut-wrenching melancholia.

'Motherfucker! It’s Alive and It’s Bleeding' is outrageously epic, literally creaking with a brooding aura. Vocalist Tom Morris excels on this number, displaying his breath-taking vocal range, almost adopting different personas to suit the changing moods held within this song. The band takes heed, segueing between elegiac, cinematic passages and almost apocalyptic devastation. When Morris sings 'Please Believe!', in a manner eerily reminiscent to A Silver Mt Zion’s Efrim Menuck, your heart will beat at least ten times faster, while the hairs on the back of your neck will stand to attention.

This quartet even find time to dabble with noise experimentation, such as the static-drenched piano/choir piece 'Rebirth' and the glitch/drone soundscape 'Paying For Your Funeral', suggesting there is a little more too this band than yet another ‘next big thing’. One thing is for sure, though, they aren’t post-rock, they aren’t indie nor are they another genre you may care to throw at them. They are simply Her Name Is Calla and their sound is awesome. Perhaps this is the beginning of a heritage of their own? A legacy of a band on the brink of greatness.

Tracklisting:

1. Nylon
2. New England
3. Paying For Your Funeral
4. Wren
5. Motherfucker! It's Alive and It's Bleeding
6. Rebirth
7. Long Distance Runner (Hidden Track)