T E Morris’ output is little short of phenomenal. Morris’ band, Her Name is Calla, may have only released one full-length album proper, with a mini-album (with a running time of almost an hour) plus slew of EPs and standalone singles to their credit, but they’ve amassed an impressive back-catalogue in a few short years. Add to that the half dozen solo EPs and a full-length solo album and you start to fully appreciate the man’s work-rate. And hot on the heels of ‘We Were Animals’, he presents us with a second solo long-player.
While its predecessor explored at length the introspective path Her Name is Calla had been weaving their way down in the period since ‘The Heritage’, ‘And You Were the Hunter’ is an altogether different beast.
That isn’t to say it doesn’t contain a wealth of the hushed, fragile acoustic latticeworks that have become Morris’ trademark, as the hushed ‘Cellar Door’ and the near acappella title track, on which Morris cries defencelessly ‘help me...’ evidence. ‘Hopeless’, too, is a haunting, string-tinged confessional, while ‘The Long Distance Runner’ - which first appeared as an uncredited hidden track on ‘The Heritage’ - is reflective and quietly moving.
But in contrast, both in texture and mood, ‘After the War Ends’ is a slow-building epic on a par with some of Her Name is Calla’s distinctively monumental works. There are other tracks where Morris really pushes in hitherto unexplored directions, too, and to good effect.
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The closest you’re likely to hear T E Morris come a conventional ‘indie rock’ song is ‘Provenance’, which is dominated by a clattering snare drum and powers along nicely, its closest relative in the Morris / Calla oeuvre probably being ‘Maw’. Elsewhere, ‘Haven’ is a bass-driven blast that soars and burns as brightly as it does briefly, and is probably the kind of song Muse might produce if they would only cut back on the overblown bilge.
Overall, while still leaning toward the quiet and the inward-looking, ‘And You Were the Hunter’ is certainly his most rounded solo effort to date, and proves he’s lost none of the ambition or sense of grandeur that set Her Name is Calla apart when they first emerged on the scene. It’s a powerful collection of emotive songs that’s not only a strong work in its own right, but a keen indicator that Morris, far from resting on his laurels, is keen to push forward. The future is bright.
T E Morris Online
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