‘Cala’ by Cala is a study in bending heritage. It’s a bold musical trip through the highlands of Scotland and beyond. Jaunty, upbeat tradition is peppered with hard rock, dance, and soul creating a unique and exhilarating style of music. Right from the start, you can feel the newness of it. Merging fresh takes with more grounded Celtic arrangements.
Cala refer to their style as post-traditional, which from a philosophical stance means to simultaneously assert and refute tradition. And you can feel it in their music. They take an atypical approach to both song structure and instrumentation. They’re not shunning tradition or replacing it with modernity. They’re mixing the two in a way that heightens both styles.
The funky bass, distorted guitar, and driving drums somehow fit perfectly with the ancestral influence of the fiddle and whistle. The album also contains subtle samples of chatter low in the mix lending to a feeling of reality. I’m so happy that I keep finding these bands that are flaunting real humanity in the face of all that is artificial in music these days. Paying respect to history while reaching for tomorrow.
The members of Cala have been playing together since they were kids growing up in Inverness. Being surrounded by the rich music and culture of Scotland helped to hone their skills. As they matured as players, they began experimenting with expanding their vocabulary. There’s absolutely no doubt where they come from or where they’re going.
The results are on full display here. A fantastic blending of song style and sound production. It’s truly adventurous and eclectic. This is evidenced by the scorching guitar solo on ‘Syzygy’, the ultra hyper beats on ‘Drummond Bass’, and more. It’s quite a ride and so refreshing.
The album ‘Cala’ is available on Bandcamp and check out the official video for the first single ‘Mouse’ below.
Cheers!
Stephen
Website → calainverness.com
Bandcamp → calainverness.bandcamp.com
Instagram → instagram.com/cala.band
TikTok → tiktok.com/@cala.band
Facebook → facebook.com/calainverness
YouTube → youtube.com/@calainverness
