"Is This All There Is?"

I was so happy when the news about Anna Calvi's new EP arrived some days ago. The artist who brought her unmistakable atmospherics and visceral guitar to two series of Peaky Blinders is back, and she's brought quite a crowd with her. On March 20th, the EP "Is This All There Is?" arrives with four songs and four remarkable voices: Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson, Perfume Genius, and Matt Berninger of The National. Collaboration here is not an add-on. It's the structural principle.

The voices enter into dialogue, becoming characters within a shared sonic space. This is not a sampler or a feature parade. It's a self-contained work that holds together because every contribution grows from a real connection.

On the romance of chosen family

Anna Calvi – "I See A Darkness" feat. Perfume Genius

"I See A Darkness" is a cover of Bonnie "Prince" Billy's song of the same name. The duet with Perfume Genius is available now, ahead of the EP. Two voices moving around each other, the way light moves around shadow. Anna Calvi describes the piece as a tribute to the intimacy of friendship:

That might sound like a concept when you read it. But it's the truth in the song.

The accompanying video, directed by Alexander Brown, captures exactly this in images: two women, one evening, and a memory of how beautiful it is to simply be present, without having to justify or protect that joy. It's a tender little document.

At the centre: a big question

The heart of the EP is the title track, an intense duet with Matt Berninger. The song was originally written for Joanna Hogg's film "The Souvenir Part II", but remained unreleased. For the EP, a new version was created in which Anna's expressive vocal lines and Matt's dark baritone move around each other: approaching, pulling away, and finding each other again.

The song unfolds as a quiet, hymn-like reflection on a large existential question. Is this really all there is? For Anna, it's ultimately about hope. She says:

Matt Berninger's voice lends the piece a particular depth. For Anna, it carries an epic, almost archaic quality that suits a song connecting intimacy with existential searching. Two voices looking for answers together, while remaining separate in their own way. That tension is precisely what makes this duet so compelling.

A new chapter

If you know Anna Calvi's work, you will be aware that she's not an artist who simply puts things out. She brought her trademark sound to the scores for series 5 and 6 of Peaky Blinders—music that gets under your skin to stay there forever. Those scores were officially released in early 2024. Since then, new material has been quiet, which naturally sets expectations for whatever comes next at a considerable height.

"Is This All There Is?" meets those expectations without ticking boxes. It's not a statement in the loud sense. It's one of the quiet kind, which tends to weigh more.

Anna Calvi on Substack, live shows, and what comes next

Alongside the EP, Anna Calvi has launched her personal Substack: "Carving Silver In Strange Weather"¹. There, she shares unreleased songs and instrumentals, playlists, live performances, and her thoughts on artistic obsessions. The first chapter, on the guitar, "depravity and the divine", has already concluded and is worth reading in full.

If you want to see Anna live, you may have to be a little patient. The show at London's EartH Theatre sold out immediately. That tells you everything about how much this return was anticipated.

Anna Calvi has been shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize three times, nominated for a BRIT Award, and across three albums has shown no fear of examining identity and passion in the hardest possible light. With "Is This All There Is?", she asks a question that has no definitive answer, and that, of course, is exactly the point. I'm very much looking forward to what comes next.

Tracklist "Depravity and The Divine"