CARLA DAL FORNO

Look Up Sharp KALLISTA

7/10

Dolorous DIY pop from Melbourne dub chanteuse

From Australia but resident in London, Carla Dal Forno rose to prominence under the aegis of Kiran Sande’s neo-gothic label Blackest Ever Black. Her second album combines a gloomy temperament with a decidedly refined aesthetic. “Hype Sleep” and “So Much Better” draw from the shadowy melancholy of The Cure’s Pornography, the studied minimalism of Young Marble Giants and the loping basslines of ’70s dub. What might feel somewhat reheated is saved thanks to Dal Forno’s poise – particularly on “I’m Conscious”, which muses deliciously on love, boredom and city living.