Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno

Looking for a musical antidote to the crushing malaise? Look no further than Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno's self-titled debut. Based in Portland, Oregon the two recent college grads hail from musical families who have known each other for years. When she was barely 20, Leva received critical acclaim for her 2018 debut, Time is Everything. Late in 2020, she joined Calcagno's old-time stringband, The Onlies, and contributed to the quartet's self-titled second album, which was produced by Pacific Northwest roots music maestro Caleb Klauder. Long before COVID-19 interrupted the collaboration, Leva and Calcagno worked on the material for their debut release thousands of miles apart, as they attended universities on the west coast and in Ohio, respectively, corresponding via voice memos and playing together during weekend visits.

In addition to being exceptional instrumentalists steeped in old school styles, the duo compose songs that radiate an appreciation for precious details and insightful awareness of emotional complexities, which belie their ages. On ‘Love and Chains’, the couple harmonises, ‘You and I, we pretend, that the word will keep on turning and that we'll have time to spend.' Listeners will find sweet relief in the music of two artists with untold years of collaboration ahead of them.