Despite waiting for The Enemy’s latest album with baited breath this feeling of trepidation proved unwarranted with the stark reality of the band releasing Streets in the Sky. 
Though initially excited by the band’s promise to return to their roots and craft a sound more like 2008’s We’ll Live & Die in these Towns, what was actually produced fell flat from its lofty pedestal, failing to deliver with the crashing disappointment of a week late Amazon order.
Though the rhythms on tracks like ‘Saturday’ and “Gimme a Sign’ hint at that unique originality The Enemy are beloved for, the resulting album catalogues a series of near misses and failed opportunities. Tom Clarke’s Kate Nash style warbling grates on my nerves. What has always redeemed the band is their ability to craft roof-raising anthems that both speak to their working class origins, yet raise the quality of the lyrics aloft to greatness. What is lacking from the entire album is both the stark social commentary of the band’s lyrics as well as the Weller-esque quality of their melodies. Therefore suggesting, rather than returning to their roots, they have forgotten them entirely.
That being said, Streets in the Sky contains echoes of what can be considered the original Enemy on tracks like ‘This is Real’. It is frustrating, that with backing music so promising the lyrics detract from what can otherwise be considered a fantastic ‘back to basics’ release. The latest album is a light version of what appealed to an ever-hungry fan base.
I suggest fans’ time would be better spent mourning the loss of the band’s relevance in a society which appears to have outgrown their formerly savvy tracks. In this way Streets in the Sky contains neither enough street nor sky as each song fails to assert itself above the vanilla tone which summarizes the album in its entirety.
