The clock strikes 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Outside, piles of snow are glistening in the moonlight, but the only moonlight I’m focused on is the one from the newly released album: Red Moon In Venus. After three endless years, the 28 year old Colombian singer released a new album called Red Moon In Venus. 

The title, Red Moon In Venus could refer to the Christian Bible’s theory on the red moon; a red moon, also known as a blood moon, is a bad omen. Or it could refer to ancient Inca history where the red moon was thought to be the moon being attacked by a jaguar. As a defense, the tribes would bark and shout at the moon to stop the jaguar from turning its attention to Earth. As I listened to the album, Kali Uchis’ interpretation and the astrology behind a blood moon seem to be that Red Moon In Venus is all about love on every level imaginable and the divine feminine. 

The album consists of 15 beautifully written songs, each one with a unique and particular sound. The first song, “in My Garden…”, is calming and short with minimal talking. It bleeds into the next song, “…I Wish you Roses”, which portrays the idea that loving another person does not mean self-hatred is required. As Kali puts it, “I was a rose in the garden of weeds […] just know any love I gave you’s forever yours to keep.” This melody made me appreciate my feelings, all of them, even the ugly ones. “Worth the Wait” featuring Omar Apollo keeps listeners on edge while the duo describes the romantic anticipation between two lovers. The feelings of envy and jealousy arise in the listener, as if they are a teenage girl seeing another with her crush. “Love Between…” is about complete and utter love; there is no superiority in a relationship; there is only honest love for one another and that is the most beautiful thing that has happened to mankind. This tune made me appreciate the entire concept of love and every feeling I’ve ever had regarding it. It reminded me that love has bad sides, but it also has an amazing good side to it. This song made me feel blissful because it gave such a strong explanation of love. 

“Como Te Quiero Yo”, the first song to incorporate Spanish, talks of the problems in a relationship, but how she wishes to overcome them. She wishes for all the problems to go away with one, simple fix. She is tired of the drama, and just wants love… don’t we all? This song reminds me of a cinnamon roll with a little too much cinnamon and icing. It fills your mouth with sweetness, but you still find the bread somewhere in there. The next song, “Hasta Cuando”, is a self-empowering song. She is looking and feeling better than ever, but her poor lost love is still obsessed with something he can never have back. This song kind of reminded me of a really sweet pineapple that can make your mouth sensitive to any other flavors. Speaking of the ninth track, Kali said, “This song goes back to the underlying concept of that no one deserves your time or intimacy unless they work for it with romantic gestures, dates, gifts, consistent special attention. One wouldn’t expect a goddess to bless them for no reason; you make offerings to a goddess.” “Moral Conscience” is a song about how karma never sleeps. She originally wrote this song about a family member who caused her pain, but it can be applied to anybody who does wrong and thinks they can get away with it. This song stuck out to me because it wasn’t about the kind side of love, but rather the bad and hurtful side. It’s important to include opposing sides to tell the full story of love because it is more than just good and bad; there’s a million different emotions involved. Listening to this song, I felt a small part of my heart break and heal all within three and half minutes.

“Not Too Late (interlude)” talks of the thin line between the feelings that are love and hate. Either way, attention is given whether it’s negative or positive. I loved this song because of how free and careless it was. It reminded me of how easy yet complicated feelings can be. Kali said it was a freestyle that rolled off the tongue without a second thought. I enjoyed how honest and relatable it was. Possibly the saddest and most heart-hitting song on the album, “Blue”, speaks of the moment when a person is in a bad place with the one person they wish to be in heaven with and they just want that moment to come to an end. As a person who has been in that place, “Blue” felt comforting and understanding to me. I appreciate when songs are able to do that. This song reminds me of the time I lied underneath the gray sky right after the rain had stopped and I had hoped the blue sky was gonna shine through soon. “Moonlight” is the most lighthearted song on the album and my personal favorite. The vibe given is the careless, window down, night time drive that all teenagers envy. As a teenager myself, I plan to blast this song on those late night drives during the summer with my friends. To close the nearly 45 minutes long album, “Happy Now” is about leaving the negativity behind. As Kali put it herself, “Happiness and peace of mind over everything.” I could not agree more. This was the perfect song to close out the emotion-filled album. 

This album tells the story of love through the horrid and fond parts of a relationship through different lenses. It is perfect for late night where you don’t know what to listen to while you’re studying, or going from a low point to a high point, mentally. From the perfect start to the roller coaster in the middle, and to the easeful end, Red Moon In Venus is yet another lovely and elegant album by the talented Kali Uchis.