“We knew we were going to have to do this the risky way”: The inspiring resilience of Calva Louise

“There’s a saying in Spanish that my mom always tells me: ‘You haven’t swum the whole ocean to die at the shore,’” begins Calva Louise vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Jess Allanic. She’s nestled on a couch alongside bassist Alizon Taho and drummer Ben Parker, the three of them positioned among a jungle of cables as preparation for their next run of live shows is underway.

The trio are in cheery spirits because, after all, this is what they dreamed of, and making their way to it was at many times a brutal pilgrimage. It’s something they’re now reflecting on with their fourth album Edge Of The Abyss, with the title itself alluding to the times they felt close to disaster.

“[We knew] we were going to have to do this the risky way,” admits Jess. Even when their bank account cried ‘no’, Calva Louise yelled ‘fuck yes!’ to every opportunity. “Looking back, we could have been in so much danger many times.”

Jess didn’t have the easiest of rides growing up as a goth kid in Venezuela, either. Though branded as “the black stain” by her peers, her love for alternative culture only grew deeper. After moving to France as a teenager and forging a friendship over System Of A Down with Alizon, the pair eventually moved to England and played in any venue that would have them.

Alizon didn’t know any English at this point, but with a ‘fuck it’ mentality and a lot of crashing on couches, they found their way to New Zealand-native, Ben. “We realise how lucky we are having each other. It’s like a band marriage,” smiles Jess. “We’re not gonna get divorced, we’ve got kids: our songs!”

Now signed to Mascot and having just smashed a 2000trees set, Calva Louise confirm they’ll always be proudly DIY. Their magnificent sliding keyboard stand, a much talked about part of their live set-up, was built by Alizon through “trial and error with wood, metal, and skateboard bearings”.

“Honestly, it’s nothing super-crazy,” he downplays, but this sort of creative control has kept the Calva Louise universe one that is entirely unique. Edge Of The Abyss is not just based in the band’s reality, either. It also tells the tale of a parallel world where each of us has a shadowy double.

With a band so brilliant at building stories and experimenting with sound, they’ve even caught the attention of Pendulum’s Gareth McGrillen. You’ll find him credited as a co-producer on the new record alongside Jess and electronic artist Mazare.

“He’s helped us in so many ways. We have pretty cheap equipment, we record everything at home, and he taught us how to get the best out of it,” says Alizon, noting how Gareth would even answer their phone calls right before going onstage.

Ultimately, while the origins of Edge Of The Abyss are multi-layered, Calva Louise invite you to take whatever you need from it. As Ben explains, “Good art sends a different message to everyone. When I listen to my favourite records, I get something out of it that probably no-one else does; I hope that’s the same for people when they listen to Edge Of The Abyss.”

It reminds Jess of an important band that inspired her: My Chemical Romance. “I was in Venezuela listening to The Black Parade, and when Gerard Way says ‘We’ll carry on’ I was like, ‘Of course, I have to carry on!’” she remembers fondly.

“If you can make just one person feel motivated to keep going, that’s more than enough.”

Edge Of The Abyss is out now. Calva Louise will hit the road for a U.S. tour in September, before supporting Stray From The Path across the UK and Europe.

Read this next:

• From Madonna to The Prodigy: The icons who inspired Cassyette
• VUKOVI: “This band is so personal. It’s literally everything to us”
• Halflives’ Linda Battilani: The 10 songs that changed my life