SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SON LUX – RISK OF MAKE BELIEVE

SON LUX
RISK OF MAKE BELIEVE
CITY SLANG

Risk Of Make Believe is the first new music from Son Lux since 2023’s very successful and Academy Award-nominated soundtrack for Everything Everywhere All At Once (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). The fact that it was nominated was one indication of just how well-received the experimental soundtrack was beyond the alternative crowd. Son Lux has always been on the edge of experimental and pop music. It is an ideal combination. For this new EP, Son Lux continues to explore sound and music and have come up with five very mellow and fascinating songs.

The music tends to lean towards rhythm and blues and is not entirely out of step with current pop hits, but the band is not content to just release a pop record. Instead, they delve deep into the sounds, layers, textures and feeling of the song. Each song tells its own story and has its own distinct feeling and vibe, and yet all five songs come together in a very cohesive manner. The vocals on the album are what one would imagine The Beach Boys sounding like if they were produced by Brian Eno.

“Cocoon”, for example, the seven-minute centerpiece of the album, has a very slow burn, and Son Lux plays with Ryan Lottt’s vocals and builds the song around it. It is deceptively sparse because when one listens carefully there is a lot going on with this song. Or the closing song, “Take Your Time With Me” again seems to start rather calmly but that changes very quickly. There are sharp shock sounds that seemingly come out of nowhere and combined with the melody and backing track make it work out.

Risk Of Make Believe is an interesting EP to release following the success of their last album. Interesting because, while it does have trademark Son Lux sounds, it is clearly not the ‘son’ of Everything Everywhere All At Once. This is a band that continues to search for interesting sounds and mix everything together. It is avant-garde, but it is presented in such a way that it attracts and embraces the listener.

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