Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis, 26, could have been gunning for a major commercial breakthrough around this time, having grazed the US top 30 with her marvellous debut album Isolation in 2018, and popped up on songs with the likes of Gorillaz, Mac Miller and Tame Impala.
Instead, on her follow-up she’s singing almost entirely in Spanish and offering some idiosyncratic titles. That infinity symbol is part of the album name, which translates as “without fear (of love and other demons)”.
It matters less in this era when the biggest boy band in the world sings in Korean and all our music is spoon-fed to us at home by algorithms. You’re hardly going to be searching Spotify, or indeed yelling at a nightclub DJ to play some of the rather peculiarly named songs. But it does mean that these 13 tracks flow past without really grabbing English speakers. While Isolation was full of quirky, poppier moments, here the pace is generally slower, the sound softer and more relaxed.
It sends a beautiful atmosphere out into a room, her voice breathy and unshowy, the bass an appealing throb, ticking Latin beats causing heads to nod without moving the feet excessively. The spell breaks momentarily on the darker, more aggressive Aquí Yo Mando, when she slides into English over the unhurried synths of Quiero Sentirme Bien, and when Canadian singer-rapper PartyNextDoor slinks into the smoochy Fue Mejor.
Overall this is a pleasant place to be. That breakout moment will come another time.
