By Megan Guerrero
Colombian American singer Kali Uchis’ career started with making mixtapes while living in her car as a teenager making her 2015 debut EP “Por Vida” that much more impressive.
In her latest album “Red Moon in Venus,” she proves she is no stranger to songs about love, heartbreak, and desire.
Her third Studio Album “Red Moon in Venus,” illustrates that she has grown as a woman. The album shows what Uchis has learned about love, healing, and self-worth.
Uchis’ combines her trademark smooth vocals with heavy influences of psychedelic rock for her instrumentals and Latin Pop for her lyrics in this latest album.
The album represents common feelings and thoughts as someone falls in love, ranging anywhere from happiness to possessiveness.
“The verses I wrote are very natural, in a freestyle sort of way; just some random thoughts when falling in love,” Uchis wrote to her fans on her Spotify Storyline.
Her melancholy bedroom-pop sound accompanies her soft-spoken singing and lovestruck lyrics. “Where would you like to spend eternity / Tell me, why would we be here if this ain’t meant to be? / Love between two human beings can be so wonderful,” Uchis sings in “Love Between…” She describes love through the most simple and natural verses. The song features her relaxed, velvety smooth vocals and lyrics, accompanied by a classic, slow, rhythm-and-blues beat.
She offers similar themes of everlasting love in “Como Te Quiero Yo” when she sings, “I want you constantly, eternally, unconditionally.”
She focuses much of the album on the ups and downs of love, perfectly matched by the Latin pop and R&B sounds. In “Deserve Me” she talks about the importance of moving on and the importance of ending toxic relationships. She sings, “You just had to make it harder than it already was / Always gotta take you farther till you’re at your wors[t].”
What makes this latest album so different from her earlier work, however, is that this album also includes revelations of healing and forgiveness, about moving on from the pain of love. In the album’s second song “I Wish You Roses,” Uchis sings about her feelings about being in a relationship that is gradually falling apart: “I wish you love / I wish you well/ I wish you roses while you can still smell them / With pretty flowers can come the bee sting.” Uchis is not angry but simply wishes the best for her lover when they have to part ways, and that they both will be able to cherish the time they had together later in the future.
“Red Moon in Venus” ’ 15th and final song takes a different approach to the album’s theme of healing as a person and love. In “Happy Now”, Uchis tackles the subject of forgiveness and moving on from conflicts within relationships, either for the better or worse. “But what’s with our timing? / Guess it’s better we never rushed / Our spark turned to flames / Don’t wanna think about the pain or the heartaches / Just wanna remember all the good things” Uchis sings.
As the title suggests, the song has a more upbeat, happy, and optimistic sound compared to other songs on this album, Her vocals are stronger and more joyful, complemented by the faster-paced drums. Uchis creates this happier melody, then pairs it with lyrics about conflict and pain to signify how within her relationship, she is struggling to accept the toxicity within it and the pain she’s in, and only wants to think about the happier times. The song completes the album’s focus on exploring all aspects of her love and relationships, with the subject of toxicity saved last for the listener.
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