Seattle’s finest La Luz have today released their fifth studio album, News of the Universe.
News of the Universe is the first La Luz album on Sub Pop, with the band’s first four albums, It’s Alive, Weirdo Shrine, Floating Features, and the self-titled La Luz released on Hardly Art.
As a record, News of the Universe is one born of calamity. It’s a work of dark, beautiful psychedelia reflecting lead singer Shana Cleveland’s experience of having her world torn apart by a breast cancer diagnosis just two years after the birth of her son. The album also marks the first appearance of new drummer Audrey Johnson and final appearances from long-time members Lena Simon and Alice Sandahl, whose contributions add a bittersweet edge to a record.
News of the Universe is a record in a hurry. Whether it’s the breathless pitter-pattering of toms on “Strange World”, the title track’s finger-tangling opening riff drenched in murky distortion, or the impending doom of “Poppies”, on which Cleveland sings of a wavering orange idyll about to be set ablaze by the late summer sun, each track almost stumbles over the next.
On the excellent “Dandelions”, Cleveland prophesies the yellow flowers for unsuspecting “little suns” soon to be “turning into moons” as the season changes. These earthy observations are inspired by Cleveland’s walks around her home in the shell-shocked days post-diagnosis when she found she had to be very intentional about what she consumed. “Seeing the cycle of life,” she says, “seeing things grow out of decay, the decay of other living things — was super comforting to me. I had to get to a place where I felt more comfortable with the idea of death.”
And yet, for every moment of fear, there is one of elation. Shimmery chamber pop song “Blue Moth Cloud Shadow” puddles into a twinkly organ-driven reverie; “I’ll Go With You” starts out with the record’s sludgiest riff before turning into its prettiest song. “Always in Love” is a power-of-love ballad that serves as the record’s centrepiece and is capped off by a fiery and jubilant guitar solo, Cleveland’s own “November Rain” moment.
Of the record as a whole, Cleveland says, “There are moments on this album that sound to me like the last frantic confession before an asteroid destroys the earth.”
More on La Luz
To check out La Luz records, tour dates, merch, etc., visit the band’s website and Bandcamp. They also post stuff and things on Instagram, if that’s your jam.
G.M
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