Dark Sky Island is the eighth studio album by Irish singer, songwriter, and musician Enya, released on 20 November 2015 by Warner Bros. Records.

After the release of her previous album, And Winter Came... (2008), Enya was unsure of her next career move, so she decided to take a break from music, which lasted three years.

Dark Sky Island received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success upon release.

[4] During this period she released her second greatest hits album, The Very Best of Enya (2009) and spent time travelling, including visits to Ireland, Australia and France, where she bought a new home on its southern coast and renovated it.

In May 2011, Ryan announced that work on a new album had started, early plans for which included orchestral and choral arrangements recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London that never came into fruition.

Enya and the Ryans adopted their usual method of writing and recording for Dark Sky Island.

[6] Enya is a self-described "very slow writer" and did not give herself a deadline to have a set number of songs complete by.

"[6] After a collection of ideas have been put down Enya would present them to Nicky and Roma "to see [whether] they understand what I'm trying to say [...] to see, emotionally, that they sense what the song is about.

[11][12] "Even in the Shadows" features a double bass played by Irish rock and jazz musician Eddie Lee.

[14] There are two songs on the album that feature lyrics in Loxian, a language created by Roma Ryan, for the first time since Amarantine (2005).

These songs in particular focus on the "intergalactic theme" and otherworldly and futuristic tales Roma Ryan uses Loxian for, along with the non-Loxian "Astra et Luna".

The song includes a complex piano-based bridge similar to Enya's solo piano tracks on her earlier albums.

The lyrics describe the subtle thrill of journeying home after a long time away, travelling through night into the next day.

In the weeks preceding Dark Sky Island's release, Enya's various official social media accounts posted interviews with Enya and her lyricist Roma Ryan, previews for the album, exclusive photos and 'behind the scenes' moments,[22] lyric and regular music videos, and information on iTunes' exclusive early releases of the album's songs.

This is the first use of social media to promote Enya's music as well as using it for giving fans exclusive, official information and content.

Its music video, released on 6 November, features Enya performing in the Chapel Royal Church in Dublin with a female string ensemble and choir.

[41] Dark Sky Island ended 2015 as the 40th best selling album of the year with sales of 900,000 copies worldwide.

He summarised the album "does manage to harness some of the power and creativity of Enya's early days and pairs it with both the confidence and shadows of age".

He praised Enya for "drifting somewhat from her aesthetic" and highlighted "Even in the Shadows" as a prime example and consequently called it "one of the best [songs] on the album".