Anna Calvi - God’s Lonely Man (feat. Iggy Pop)

New Music 2026 Q1 W07

Anna Calvi – God’s Lonely Man (feat. Iggy Pop)

Anna Calvi is announcing a new EP, Is This All There Is?, due March 20 via Domino, and the lead single is exactly what you’d hope for when you pair her with Iggy Pop. “God’s Lonely Man” runs on furious guitars, galvanizing drums, and a push-pull between two artists who know exactly how to use negative space. Calvi cast Iggy to voice what she describes as her destructive internal monologue — “He’s disruptive, raw, and honest — a singular force. His presence was so perfect for the narrative of this song” — and it shows. He doesn’t guest, he inhabits.

The song’s lyrics (“I wanna do more than just survive / I wanna be somebody tonight / I wanna be somebody cause I’m God’s lonely man”) work as both confession and defiance. Moments of stillness give way to surges of intensity, reinforcing the push against emotional paralysis that runs through the track. Stark contrasts in the production — Calvi’s sharp, cinematic guitar work against a raw rhythmic backbone — keep it from tipping into melodrama.

The EP is the first instalment in a planned trilogy exploring identity as metamorphosis. Calvi traces the concept directly to becoming a parent: “Having a child was so transformative, it made me consider the possibility that everything in life could potentially shift, and that is scary but incredibly freeing. I didn’t want to take anything for granted any more. I want to exist in the best way for my child. I wanted to ask the most basic human question — is this all there is?”

The collaborators across the four tracks reflect that approach. Alongside Iggy Pop, Calvi enlisted Laurie Anderson for a cover of Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love”, Perfume Genius for a cover of Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s “I See A Darkness” (released late last year), and The National’s Matt Berninger on the title track. Of the group, Calvi says: “They share a kind of subversive honesty. They’re not trying to please anyone. They express exactly who they are.” Her previous collaborations — David Byrne, Brian Eno, Marianne Faithfull, Charlotte Gainsbourg — follow a similar pattern: she works with artists who operate on their terms.

Calvi’s last studio album was Hunter in 2018 (Mercury Prize nominated), followed by the stripped companion record Hunted in 2020 and the Tommy EP in 2022 tied to her Peaky Blinders score work. The scoring experience left a mark on her approach: “Scoring the final two seasons of Peaky Blinders really altered how I create music. 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.” Is This All There Is? arrives with two UK live dates supporting David Byrne this summer.