"Look Up Sharp" is an evolutionary leap from the dense fog and pastoral stillness of her Blackest Ever Black releases, "You Know What It's Like" (2016) and "The Garden EP" (2017). Three years after her debut, the Melbourne-via-Berlin artist finds herself in London's sprawling chaos. The small-town dreams and inertia that preoccupied Carla Dal Forno on her first album have dissolved in the chaotic city. "Look Up Sharp" is the story of a life in transition, yearning for intimacy, falling short, and embracing the unknown. Dal Forno connects with kindred spirits, finding refuge in darkened alleyways, secret gardens, and wherever else she dares to look. In her own territory between plaintive pop, folk, and post-punk, Dal Forno conjures the spirits of A.C. Marias, Virginia Astley, and Broadcast in a spectral atmosphere. The first half of the record is full of synchronized bass lines paired with psychedelic synth work, as heard on "Took A Long Time" and "No Trace." These contrast with songs like "I'm Conscious" and "So Much Better," which channel the driving force of Young Marble Giants and are clear continuations of "Fast Moving Cars," the hit from their debut album. The B-side opens with the feverish bass and meandering melody of "Don't Follow Me," which takes The Cure's "A Forest" as a conceptual springboard and reveals their unparalleled ability to open up the masculine emptiness of post-punk and new wave nostalgia to reflect contemporary nuances. "Look Up Sharp" reaches its satisfying conclusion with "Push On"—an explicit foray into an uncharted trip-hop universe somewhere between Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn.
