Her Name is Calla follow their 'triumphant debut' (NME), The Quiet Lamb, with the release of the double A-side vinyl single, Maw. Always a band keen to challenge both themselves and their listeners, Maw is an arresting example of a close-knit set of musicians exploring new terrain, whilst remaining faithful to their innate aesthetic.
The opening track, Maw, throws the listener into the climax of a galloping, pounding rock song, which burns with growing intensity. Clocking in at around a third of the length of Her Name is Calla's more symphonic tracks, Maw is a demonstration of a band enjoying and exploiting the darkly playful ferocity of the shorter time span. The Beat That My Heart Skipped, on the other hand, engages the use of brevity to create a delicate and heartfelt breath of simple drums, violin and vocals. If Maw is the example of a claustrophobic gathering of instruments, TBTMHS is inescapable for its bare, tender minimalism.
The closing track, Dreamlands, features Her Name is Calla's return to the longer, more conceptual song. It follows the previous tracks' sense of entrapment, but this time creates disorientation through dizzying electronic experimentation and sudden, or unnervingly gradual, slides into different phases of an unfamiliar world.
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