"They share a kind of subversive honesty": Anna Calvi reveals existential EP trilogy featuring Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson, Matt Berninger

The four-track collection is described as the first part of a trilogy exploring identity and metamorphosis, a thematic shift influenced by Calvi’s experience of becoming a parent. “Having a child was so transformative it made me consider the possibility that everything in life could potentially shift,” she says. “I wanted to ask the most basic human question - is this all there is?”

The record follows late last year’s cover of “I See A Darkness” with Perfume Genius, who also appears on the EP. Calvi links the cohesive, narrative-driven feel of the record to her recent work scoring the final two seasons of Peaky Blinders. “Scoring… really altered how I create music,” she explains. “I always used to imagine my songs as mini films, but with this EP I wanted to explore a narrative which could exist throughout all the songs.”

“I love to create cinema with pure sound. The further I explore, the more curious I become.”

Opening track, “God’s Lonely Man”, features Iggy Pop and arrives with a video shot in Miami. Calvi describes Pop as the ideal voice for the song’s internal monologue. “He’s disruptive, raw, and honest — a singular force. His presence was so perfect for the narrative of this song,” she explains.

Another collaboration finds Calvi reworking Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love” with avant-garde pioneer Laurie Anderson. The reinterpretation centres on Anderson’s spoken-word delivery, framed by what Calvi terms “eerie choral arrangements”, to examine themes of digital intimacy. The final track is a titular duet with Matt Berninger.

Calvi suggests her chosen collaborators all share a unifying trait. “They share a kind of subversive honesty,” she says. “They’re not trying to please anyone. They express exactly who they are.”

Is This All There Is? arrives as Calvi’s first major release since her 2018 album Hunter, which earned her a third Mercury Prize nomination. Alongside the EP announcement, Calvi is confirmed to appear on War Child’s forthcoming HELP(2) compilation on 6 March, contributing a track featuring Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, Nilüfer Yanya, and Dove Ellis.

Is This All There Is? artwork

Is This All There Is? tracklist

"God’s Lonely Man" (feat. Iggy Pop)
" I See A Darkness" (feat. Perfume Genius)
" Computer Love" (feat. Laurie Anderson)
" Is This All There Is?" (feat Matt Berninger)