In the summer of 2018, Anna Calvi released her third album Hunter. On it, she explored sexuality and breaking the laws of gender conformity. Following an intense 18 months — in which time Calvi wrote her first television score (for BBC One’s Peaky Blinders), received her third consecutive Mercury Prize nomination (being the first female solo artist to do so) and played sold out shows across the globe — Calvi has now returned to craft Hunter into Hunted.
When revisiting the original recordings for Hunter, Calvi found they offered an intimate and private view of the songs’ initial intentions. The seven tracks are distilled to their bare essence on Hunted: Calvi’s masterful guitar playing and formidable vocals, alongside collaborations with Courtney Barnett (see below), Joe Talbot (IDLES), Charlotte Gainsbourg and Julia Holter.
Calvi said of Hunted: “During a break from touring I went back and listened to the first recordings I ever made of Hunter. These recordings capture the very moment I first wrote these songs, and recorded them on my own, in my attic studio. I find something especially intimate about sharing these most private recordings with my favourite singers and asking them to lend their voices and artistic sensibility.”
Barnett said of the collaboration: “Anna is a completely awe-inspiring performer, it’s impossible to take your eyes off her onstage. I love her songwriting for its beautiful and perfect balance between aggression and tenderness”.