Album Review: The Enemy - Streets In The Sky

It's been four years since English indie rockers The Enemy brought out their second album, Music For The People, which for anyone who loved their 2007 debut, We'll Live And Die In These Towns, was a bit of a letdown. Now, following a two-year hiatus to get things right, they're back with a new album that sounds much more like The Enemy their fans know and love.

Streets In The Sky is traditional The Enemy, plus some serious rock. It's harder and heavier than previous output, but its theme of the ups and downs of everyday life carries through, bringing it back down to earth. Opener, Gimme The Sign, packs a mean punch with heavy guitars, fast drum beats and singer Tom Clarke's gritty vocals shouting out above it all. Two more big hitters, Bigger Cages (Longer Chains) and Saturday, follow before the tone levels out for the melodic 1-2-3-4, which evokes memories of early Green Day with some Flock Of Seagulls effects over the top.

The rest of the album merges back into first album territory with upbeat melodies, big riffs and passionate choruses, like the emotive This Is Real – “Love, we don't have much/But what we have's enough/Just hold your head up and we'll be ok.” The acoustic 2 Kids borders on cheesy but provides light relief and Get Up And Dance really shows Clarke's ability to sing some nice harmonies as well as just belting lyrics out.

Streets In The Sky is a huge improvement on the last album, so let's hope The Enemy have learnt their lessons and are moving in the right direction once more.