Calva Louise

Psychopathic psychedelia

London trio Calva Louise specialise in a type of psych-tinted grunge pop that teems with vitality and viciousness in equal measure. Guitarist/vocalist Jess Allanic’s unhinged tone on the likes of Getting Closer sounds like a carnival ride gone wrong. “Fuzzy, high-pitched and chorus-y,” says Jess, when we ask her to describe the sound. “I like to use a lot of choruses and modulations with added whammy pedal, which is on almost all the time – I’m trying to expand the tone as much as possible.” It’s a characterful, expansive sound – part Nick Zinner, part Annie Clark – so we’re looking forward to hearing the recently-recorded debut album when it lands. “It can be a challenge to translate some parts of our recordings live,” acknowledges Jess. “It can feel like tap dancing with the pedals, but it is a funny dance…”

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