ELIZA: “Nature is still there, pushing through”
We caught up with ELIZA just after The Darkening Green dropped. It’s the kind of album that sits with you at first, then slowly opens up. Before you realise it, you’re properly in it, going back to songs, pulling things apart and hearing something new each time. It feels like ELIZA, but more assured. A deeper, more confident version of what’s already been there. Love, nature, softness, all of it sits on the surface, but there’s something heavier running underneath, an awareness of everything going on around us, the kind of weight that doesn’t need spelling out.
The album was finished just before ELIZA became a mother, and listening to it now that timing feels important. “That first year of motherhood slows everything down in a good way,” she says, and when she returned to the record, she gave it space to sit and become what it needed to be.
At the centre of it is that need for connection, something simple but easy to lose. “I think we really need that,” she says, “when we don’t have it, we end up putting a lot of pressure on everything else to fill that space,” and that runs through the whole record, how we look for it, and what happens when we lose it. Living in North London, she talks about finding that balance, stepping out when she needs to and holding onto that connection where she can.
Where do you go in London when you need to reconnect with nature?
I live in North London, so Hampstead Heath is my go-to. If you go deep enough into the woods it can feel surprisingly wild, which I love. I like going off the paths and further into the trees, even with the buggy, which is quite funny because the wheels end up completely covered in mud and I definitely get told off for it. But it’s worth it. There’s something really calming about being there. It’s one of those places where the city fades away a bit and you can just breathe.
If you want to get even further away from the city, where do you go?
Epping Forest. It feels much more removed from London. On the Heath you can still hear the city around you, traffic, people, everything going on, but in Epping Forest you’re properly surrounded by woodland. It’s quiet in a different way. It feels like you’ve actually stepped out of the city for a while.
Your album The Darkening Green talks a lot about nature and the tension of living in a city. Do you think we’ve lost that connection a bit?
I think we probably have. We live in such a concrete world now and it’s very easy to get swallowed up by it. But nature is always still there, pushing through if you look for it, like when you see a flower growing through a crack in the pavement. I think we really need that connection, and when we don’t have it, we end up putting a lot of pressure on our relationships and on other people to fill that space. Being outside, even if it’s just walking through somewhere like the Heath or the woods, reminds you we’re part of nature too.
You finished this just before becoming a mum — when you came back to it, did it feel different at all?
Yeah, completely. The album was basically done a couple of weeks before my son was born — written and produced — and then I didn’t listen to it again for a while. When I came back to it a few months later, I could hear things differently. Not major changes, just small tweaks — adding vocals, adjusting bits of the production. I actually took him into the studio with me when he was about three months old to finish it off. That first year of motherhood just slows everything down, in a good way. You’re in a completely different world. I think it gave the record a bit more space to sit and become what it needed to be.
The album touches on wider themes too. Were there social or environmental issues you wanted to address in this album?
Yeah, definitely. The biggest thing for me is that we need to stop harming each other. Seeing people suffer, especially children, is devastating. At the same time, I think a lot about our relationship with the planet, the climate crisis, biodiversity, all of it. It’s connected. It comes down to how we treat each other and how we treat the earth. Becoming a mother has made that feel even more real. Ultimately, I just want to see things change for the better. That’s what sits at the heart of the album.
London can feel chaotic sometimes. What do you think the city still needs more of?
More community spaces. Places where people can actually gather and spend time together, somewhere with good food, where people can sit down, talk and connect. Not just rushing in and out, but actually being together.
Where are the creative spots in London you’re loving right now?
181 is a really great spot. It’s a vinyl shop during the day and a bar at night, just a nice place to hang out and listen to music. We actually had the album launch there recently and it was such a good vibe. Spaces like that are really important for music culture in London.
Where have you’ve been to relax recently?
Yes! Hackney Wick Community Sauna Baths, I went a few weeks ago for my sisters birthday and it was really good. Such a great spot.
Any restaurants you always go back to?
Rita’s. It’s my friend’s restaurant and the food is really good. It’s one of those places that always has a great atmosphere, and it’s nice going somewhere that feels personal as well.
Who are you spotlighting now?
Finlay ‘Phairo’ Robson and Emil
Fin is basically my full-time creative partner. Even when I work with other musicians or producers, he’s involved throughout the whole process — writing, production and mixes. Emil was someone I worked with for the first time on this project, and it was great bringing that new energy into the room. He’s incredibly talented and it felt exciting to create together. They both have their own projects going on, so they’re always worth listening to.
Listen to The Darkening Green here.
Interview by Cherelle Chambers