Sky Wihout Stars, Eliza, LP

Eliza's 2018 album, A Real Romantic - released as Eliza Doolittle - was written amid the social and political turmoil of the election of Donald Trump and Brexit. It was a response to the forces of capitalism and patriarchy and the feelings of hopelessness many of us were feeling at the time. It embodied escapism, experimentation, and evolution. On A Sky Without Stars, Eliza doesn't escape from reality, instead she faces it head on. An altogether more confrontational record, it represents her desire to engage with the many problems she sees in the world. In tones as smooth as honey, she draws us in and delves into the darkness. Drawing on the sonics of the 70s, songs are laden with a wool-warm and satin-soft sound, lending them a feel that is at once sullen, saturnine, sensual and seductive. In the face of a multitude of problems in the world, A Sky Without Stars invites us to look up, gain perspective, and remember the important things in life.