Post Rock bands are becoming increasingly more and more stereotypical, never really striving to create something new and exciting and ultimately often blending into the background. Her Name is Calla do just the opposite, they have taken the post-rock formula broken it down into tiny little fragmental particles and fired it around a homemade Hadron collider creating a miniature black hole in the centre of the genre. Ok, so maybe I’ve been watching way too much discovery channel recently but you kind of get where I’m coming from, right? No, let me spell it out for you… T H E Y A R E A M A Z I N G. I’m still recovering from the state of bemusement they bundled me into over at Dunk Festival earlier this year when I discovered how truly dumbfounding their live show was. The difference between that live and recorded sound is phenomenal, and it was a very memorable gig indeed. I was actually meant to catch up with them for an interview at Dunk fest but due to the Kraik (which is a Belgian Beer, although the effect of drinking copious amounts is probably similar to that of actual crack) I found myself in a state that isn’t really acceptable for talking to other human beings in a serious manner, so I opted for the sensible option of doing it back home. Here is what they had to say..

BR. Were you to wake up in the morning with a fully fledged beard, which famous facial furry garnish would you most like it to resemble? (Maybe not a question for Sophie)

Thom: I've been giving this a lot of thought. I'm going to go with either an Abraham Lincoln or Seth Armstrong from Emmerdale Farm. Both for the same reason - those are not facial stylings I'd have the balls to opt in to by choice, but I'm curious enough to see how they went if forced upon me.

BR.Your live show is quite an amazing spectacle; you guys really blew me away at Dunk! Fest, so which came first the live show or the studio recording?

Sophie: It depends – some songs grow from performing together, others have to be worked out at a distance, as we all live in different corners of the country! We often add our parts as we record, and don’t play the song in full until we finally meet up.

BR.How did the decision to make your recorded sound more subdued than your live show come about, was it something that was discussed or did it just kind of happen like that?

Sophie: It just happens that way – it’s quite emotional playing together, as we’re so close, and each song has a personal meaning to each of us. So when we play live, we’re all reliving the experiences that informed each track. We’re also quite passionate about dynamics, and on the record, unlike a lot of overly produced songs, our music seems subdued because it has a lot of very quiet and delicate passages.

BR.It seems that you guys are the masters of dynamics, from those beautifully quiet meandering melodies to your full on crazy crescendos. Do you think the dynamics of a song are more or less important as the musical or lyrical content?

Adam: I think you'd be hard pressed to cleave dynamic from musical content to be honest, as one informs the other. I don't think it's really a conscious effort to be dynamic; it just gets fleshed out depending on the song. Take Dreamlands for example. We had these 3 sections that we knew went together, but we didn't quite know how. We made a rough mix where it just jumped from one bit to another and we really hated the brashness of it all. After a short amount of chin stroking, me and Tom resolved that we should make these huge noise textures to provide an apex and roll off to each section. Allowing the dust from one movement to settle, whilst the other crept in. They were too different just to be lumped next to each other. It'd be like writing a Sonata and skipping the exposition. Just doesn't make sense! Since joining Calla I'm a firm believer in holding back. When I was mixing Thief for example, I left out about 20 parts until the very end, otherwise you're just instantly filling a space that you never defined. You've nowhere to go!

Sophie: I have to agree… I’ve learnt a lot about balance through HNIC… and sometimes a lot of our dynamics have come from learning when it’s right to step back from a song, and when it’s time to join it. Some bands have everyone playing from start to finish, but that’s not really us.

BR.You really went all out on your beautifully packaged vinyl, the presentation is just amazing, do you think its imperative for all bands to present in this way or do you think it’s mainly a trait of bands from more experimental genres?

Adam: Thanks! I don't think it's really because we're experimental. I think is just our testament to how much we care about our record. We realise that in the current climate, you can't just release a CD in a jewel case and expect that to wow people. This isn't the 80's - CDs aren't that special anymore. It's the content that enhances, and perhaps hues somewhat, the listeners experience. It affirms a sense of worth perhaps… assuring the audience of our sincerity. It's also a great pantheon for us to showcase aspects of our lives that won't fit into song. Metadata has come a long way, but you still miss out a lot of nuance that only a book in hand can ascribe. It's a shame not everyone sees it that way *cough* Mercury Records...

BR.Have you noticed a recent revival of vinyl buying trends and tried to strike while the iron is hot or is it something you have always wanted to do?

Thom: I've heard about a revival of vinyl buying, but I'm not sure we've noticed anything with our own sales that we could attribute to it. We're moving further into Europe though, and they seem a lot keener on the vinyl than people here in the UK.

Sophie: Yeah, when we played at Swingfest in Germany, last October, we pretty much just sold vinyl! All these young guys with arms full of vinyl, it was really cool to see!

Tom: Yeah, we're seeing more vinyl sales, but we're seeing more Euro sales too. As for striking while the irons hot, it's not that at all. As a format we love vinyl. The heavy feeling in the hand, the large format glossy artwork, the process of putting on a record. It's beautiful. But it's expensive, so we're lucky that we have enough fans who want to buy vinyl that we can put our music out on it.

BR.What is the single biggest influence on your music?

Tom: Would life be too broad? The biggest influence. Bit weird, but I'm not sure there is one really beyond life. We all bring our own influences into the music and we don't really talk about where that comes from, just what we're doing with it. Sometimes not even that. That feels like such a cop-out answer. Over the course of the past few years, while we've been writing the material that features on our records, we've all been through quite a lot - sometimes a hell of a lot. All of that comes through on the record. I think probably it's the same for the other guys, but different songs really channel certain aspects of my personality and the events that have shaped my life. So I'm going to stick with my first answer. Life.

BR.What is your perception of the post rock scene at the moment, both American and European entities? Where do you see it heading in years to come?

Sophie: I’m not too well-versed on the post rock scene – we’re always called that, but I don’t feel part of a scene… more like that’s just the closest scene we could belong to, perhaps. There are only a handful of post rock bands I listen to on a regular basis, and the top of them all has still got to be Explosions in the Sky for me! I just saw them at Manchester Academy… a great live show. Even bashing a tambourine looked intense. That’s a feeling I don’t get often from many bands, especially not post rock bands these days… I feel like some post rock bands look as though they’re going through the motions, somewhat. I know that’s a pretty common complaint, but post rock really should be intense and emotional, whereas a few bands are just carbon copying “stereotypical” guitar sounds and crescendos. Your music should really be drawing the audience in; taking them by surprise and entertaining them. I guess that’s where the post rock genre should head in the future – to stop trying to sound “post rock”. I know adding vocals, different instruments and exploring different genres (such as electronica) can be considered making your music “less post rock”, but otherwise the genre’s not really going to grow.

BR.What are your views on people illegally downloading your music, does it bother you or are you just glad that your music is reaching a wider audience in the hope they will in turn support what you’re doing?

Sophie: It’s a bit disappointing to spend a long time – and a lot of money – recording music, only for the torrent to go online within hours of its release. But I would be lying if I’d said I hadn’t downloaded music when I was younger. Then again, that was before the days of decent streaming facilities, like Spotify, or even our Bandcamp page. It’s nice to reach a wider audience, but streaming music has that effect, too. Everyone in the band probably has a different view on this, but personally, I won’t hold anything against someone with little money downloading the record. When you’re a teenager and skint and desperate for some music to get you through the night… I mean, if you emailed me and said something to that effect, I’d probably just send you the album myself! But if you’ve got the means, it really is best to support the artist. Any band will tell you the thrill of another sale, and the support shown – both financially and by meeting a new fan – is so flattering. And even though we record our music quite frugally at home, it’s going to be really difficult for musicians to continue without some financial help from fans.

BR.What’s the next step for Her Name is Calla, are you going to try something different or just keeping doing what you do best?

Michael: Definitely something new. When we’re writing a new song or trying a new idea, we always try to do something different, something fresh. We’ve scrapped many a song that feels like something we’ve done before.

BR.If the world was to end tomorrow and you could tell our readers to go out and do one last thing before the end, what would that be? (You can’t say go out and buy the album)

Michael: I’d say go buy/make a cake. If it’s a sunny day, sit in the park with some friends or family, and have the cake and some gentle drink. Have a good time, telling funny stories, smiling, laughing.