Son Lux


Son Lux is an American experimental band. Originally the solo project and moniker of founding member Ryan Lott, the band's first three albums, At War with Walls & Mazes, We Are Rising and Lanterns shaped the band's unique sound through post-rock and electronica influences.
With the release of their fourth studio album, Bones, in 2015, Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang joined Son Lux, transforming the project into a three-piece band. After the release of the extended plays, Stranger Forms and Remedy, the band's fifth album, Brighter Wounds, was released in February 2018.

History

Son Lux started in 2008 as the moniker and solo recording project of American musician and composer Ryan Lott. Their debut studio album, At War with Walls & Mazes, was released in March of that same year. Following this release, NPR named Son Lux "Best New Artist" on their program All Songs Considered.
Lott then released the second album, We Are Rising, in May 17, 2011, recorded in the entire month of February for the RPM Challenge. Adam Kivel, writing for Consequence of Sound, described the album as "the dark, operatic middle ground between Owen Pallett and In Rainbows-era Radiohead or Wild Beasts' fantastic, operatic heights."
Son Lux signed with Joyful Noise Recordings in May 2013, the same month that their "haunting rendition" of "Black Waters" was featured in the epnoymous flexi-disc series released by Joyful Noise. After the announcement of Lott joining Joyful Noise, the project released "TEAR", a conceptual 7" featuring one new song in two distinct parts. Lanterns was then released on October 29, 2013. It includes vocals from then label-mate Stranger Cat, the musical project of Cat Martino. The lead single "Lost It To Trying" was named one of Pitchfork's Best New Tracks.
In 2014, Son Lux released the extended play Alternate Worlds, which contained re-imagined songs from Lanterns, including a version of "Easy" with vocal contributions from Lorde. Later in 2014, Glassnote announced that they had signed Son Lux worldwide. Additionally, Lott composed the score and soundtrack for the 2014 film, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.
In 2015, Lott was featured on The Art Assignment in a project that invites viewers to work collaboratively around music that he wrote for the program.
The project's fourth album, Bones, was released on June 23, 2015. With the release of the album, the project transformed into a trio when touring members Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang joined Lott as members of the band.
On July 15, 2016, Son Lux appeared on stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival as a guest of Woodkid at the "Woodkid and Friends" evening.
On April 7, 2017, the band released the song "Dangerous", simultaneously announcing the song as the lead single from their fourth EP, Remedy, which released on May 12. On December 15, 2017, a song titled "Eazy" by hip-hop artist G-Eazy was released featuring sampled audio from "Easy".
Son Lux released their fifth album, Brighter Wounds, on February 9, 2018 on their new record label, City Slang. The album received a review of 7.3 out of 10 points on Pitchfork.
On April 5, 2019, Son Lux released a box set with one of their earlier labels, Joyful Noise Recordings, that has two reissued early albums and a new album of unreleased recordings, Remnants. In May, 2020, the collection entitled Reincarnates was released. This collection, much like Remnants consisted of previously unheard or rare tracks, including three reworkings of "Change is Everything" from the Bones album, and a new version of "Remedy".

Members

Current members

Albums