Calla
Collisions

I absolutely loved "Televise," the previous work by Calla, purebred New Yorkers from Brooklyn.
Perhaps it's this metropolitan dimension of theirs, or more likely the deliberate and ostentatious detachment from it, that colors the trio's passages. Warm, welcoming passages, despite the edginess; reaching their fourth studio album, we can talk about a Calla sound, recognizable, characterized. Dragging, screaming guitars, Aurelio Valle's subdued voice, the insistent, often martial drums, and a pulsing bass that serves as the foundation of a sound that is now unmistakable.
Strengths of the previous work that are found punctually and with renewed energy in this new album that develops the discourse, furthering it, adding another handful of frankly exceptional tracks.

Sure, one might argue that there's nothing new, but who wanted that? Valle's songwriting has reached a surprising maturity and awareness, the cohesion is palpable in every note, and the atmospheres are increasingly warm and engaging.

A rain album perhaps, like "Televise," dark, but not only that. The melodies are catchy, subtle, they draw you into the folds, into the empty spaces to fill, they allow no distractions. From the attack of "It Dawned On Me" to the relentless bass of "Pulverized," pure late-industrial poetry, pierced by the notes of a piano of moving sweetness. Sometimes it feels like being in the smoky atmosphere of 90s Bristol, elbow to elbow with Beth Gibbons.

The album practically shows no weak moments, living on a constantly tense dramatic tension and alternating a well-conceived setlist. If we really want to find the needle in the haystack, I would say that the trio "Stumble," "Imbusteros," and "Testify" could have been condensed into a single composition; but beyond this, the compactness, the renewed uniformity of the work remains in the ears, placing Calla on a decidedly higher level compared to 90% of the things New York offers and presents to us annually.

Highly recommended for dark souls, but not too much; for would-be post-industrial poets; for the young ladies and gentlemen, or even just for those who don't want to watch the world in silence and get lost in the relentless "Overshadowed".