Kali Uchis delivers a stunning album lamenting the discovery and erosion of love 

By: Evan Boisoneau

Just a few months after announcing it in January, Kali Uchis released her third album earlier this month. In Red Moon in Venus, Kali continues refining her latin-infused R&B sound that she first explored in her second studio album, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios). For all intents and purposes, these albums are sisters and have secured Uchis a spot as an international R&B icon with millions of fans around the world. 

Kali Uchis is relatively new to the music scene, having released her first mixtape, Babble, in 2012. It wasn’t until 2018 that her first album came out, and from there her popularity skyrocketed. Mixing Spanish lyrics and American-influenced R&B rhythms gained Uchis fame internationally. Her music has always been romantic– a sort of sultry funk that embraces sexuality and liberation; Red Moon in Venus takes this to a whole new level.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Kali Uchis describes this album as “... a timeless, burning expression of desire, heartbreak, faith, and honesty, reflecting the divine femininity of the moon and Venus. The moon and Venus work together to make key aspects of love and domestic life work well.” 

The album takes on its own story of love, with the opening song, I Wish you Roses. This leading single, accompanied by her entrancing vocals, reaffirm her control over her own sex appeal as a way to remain unfettered by the patriarchy. The rest of the album embraces the theme of divine femininity through the lens of the phases of a relationship. The next track, Worth the Wait (feat. Omar Apollo), encapsulates the first phase of any relationship: the initial spark of uncontrollable desire when you can’t get your hands off of each other. With lyrics like, “I want to be around you every day/This feeling in my body's not the same”, paired with  R&B instrumentals, she builds an environment of burning passion that permeates all the other tracks on the first half of the album. 

In the second half of the album, the infatuation that was driving this relationship begins to fade. Desire turns to despair after culminating in the Afro-pop track Fantasy (feat. Don Toliver). The lyrics of this song are some of the most sensual of the whole album. But it abruptly ends, with Kali’s words, “That's it, that's the end of the song Come on, baby, let's go home.” Thematically, these closing words signal the finale of the honeymoon phase and the beginning of the end.

The story continues, and the next couple of songs explore the toxic dynamic that the relationship has devolved into. Tracks like “Deserve Me” and “Moral Conscience” convey a shift in the production, from a romantic aura to scornful rage, as Kali debates whether it is better to be alone than to remain in a failing relationship. These songs perfectly encapsulate that feeling. The music echoes the good times described earlier in the album, but there is a newfound strain veiled over those memories now

The album culminates with the song “Moonlight”-- which is arguably the best track on the album. This track drives home the central themes with a message connected to astrology and the divine feminine. Kali pleads with us to feel the power of love for all its good and bad in the face of grief. She encourages her listeners to open their minds, feel the liberation, wisdom, and divinity that has driven the philosophy of the album. Overall, the album explores the birth and death of love through the lens of sexual liberation and the powers of the moon. Red Moon in Venus is an enchanting and alluring album with a lot of soul. This album is perfect to blast in the car or on your walk to class as the weather gets warmer and inspires you to embrace its warm energy with a heart full of love.