Dal Forno, Carla
Look Up Sharp
Three years since her plain-speaking debut album, the Melbourne-via-Berlin artist finds herself absorbed in London's sprawling mess. The small-town dreams and inertia that preoccupied Dal Forno's first album have dissolved into the chaotic city, its shifting identities, far-flung surroundings and blank faces. 'Look Up Sharp' is the story of this life in flux, longing for intimacy, falling short and embracing the unfamiliar. It's the clearest lyrical example since 'The Garden' of Dal Forno's unmatched ability to unpick the masculine void of post-punk and new wave nostalgia to reflect contemporary nuance. Adding further depth to the album are the instrumentals, which flow seamlessly between the vocal-led pieces. Conceived as a whole, 'Look Up Sharp' is a singular prism in which light, sound and concept bend at all angles.