Poppy Ackroyd’s new album Liminal was written during a period of major upheaval in her life, it marks a return to the piano and violin-focused approach heard on some of her earlier records, with every sound on the album created using those two instruments alone.
Built from a mix of composition and improvisation, the music often feels as though it is discovering itself as it goes, while still carrying the melodic detail and emotional weight that have become hallmarks of her writing. “I had such a chaotic few years” she says of the album’s genesis, “but the only way to cope was to allow things to be messy”. From a listeners point of view, however, her clarity shines through.
The Predatory Wasp 