Kali Uchis: ‘Red Moon In Venus’ Review - A handwritten love letter to femininity and expressive desire

City Pop meets contemporary RnB with angelic tones in this experimental third studio album from the ‘Your Teeth in My Neck’ singer.

Kali has had huge success with the release of her Latin Pop album ‘Sin Miedo,’ which demonstrated her versatility as an artist and allowed her to pay homage to her culture while still having ‘Love,’ as a consistent theme in her music, along with ‘Isolation,’ which effortlessly fuses her soul-infused vocals to Indie melodies and RnB drums.

At the end of 2022, Kali Uchis posted snippets of potential singles for fans to choose which one would roll out alongside her new album release. ‘I Wish you Roses,’ released on January 19th, was the chosen single, it is the second song on the album which illustrates a time when Uchis finds herself reminiscing about the love she once had for a romantic lover. 

This is beautifully done through the angelic melodies of the song, creating a spiritual ambience between Uchis and the listener, whilst honing in on Uchis’ feminine energy, which is a consistent theme throughout the album.

‘Red Moon in Venus’ is an album about different aspects of loving someone and contrasted with the difficulty of letting someone go forever and then tied up with valuing your personal self-worth, which is referenced in ‘Deserve Me’ featuring fellow RnB singer, Summer Walker. “Finally stopped calling… Tryna forget your face and put these thoughts to rest, Can I move on?” Acceptance, another theme of the album, provides Uchis with the realisation that being aware of your value and worth, will allow you to set yourself free from situations that spiral out of control and become toxic.

The title of the album has a meaning relating to the beliefs of astrology - celestial artefacts that have the power to create significance within human life. In this case, the ‘Red Moon,’ stands as a metaphor for the burning desire and passion that love can encompass, as opposed to the astrological meaning referencing disasters and apocalypses. 

This love can be felt particularly strongly on ‘Endlessly,’ a phenomenal City Pop-infused jam, with playful drums and a repetitive chorus that creates a groovy bridge. ‘Venus,’ signifies ‘The Goddess of Love,’ which Uchis personifies as herself in ‘Love Between…’ where she finds herself submerged in a relationship that has her filled to the brim with happiness and excitement - the album is truly an impressive body of work that demonstrates Uchis’ versatility as an artist.