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Critic Reviews
80
Lanterns is Lott’s most cohesive work, his music a prism refracting light onto the spectrum of change.
12y
80
While the creative process might be something that's constantly changing for Lott and Son Lux, the one thing that's remained consistent is the level of quality, making Lanterns an album that easily lives up to, and even exceeds, any expectations fans would have for the project.
12y
80
In giving his compositions a little more leeway to spin and pirouette with maximum emotional force, Son Lux has made his best album to date and proven the wisdom of waving goodbye to restraint once in a while.
12y
73
It’s an exhausting listen, alternately frustrating and overwhelming. But it’s never boring.
12y
66
It is hard to parse all that's disparate here, and in searching for its most personal form, Son Lux unwittingly dipped into the uncanny valley of digital music trying to become human—something a little too perfect to believe.
12y
60
I can’t help but feel that, like a lot of fine art, Lanterns has been constructed to be admired from a distance.
12y
Shout out to my friend Swiim for recommending me this project. Happy to explore new sounds always, and this project feels like a world unto its own. The pacing is never quite right, as it either drags or moves too quickly, but I still found a lot of moments I liked on here.:)
Alternate World is gorgeous, but ends so abruptly. Lost It To Trying feels like when I first heard Dirty Projectors. 2013 absolutely tracks for this sound, but I think it is timelessly cool
Ransom does a pretty good ... read more
An album that thrives when it strays away from gimmicky and dated production, which only happens occasionally.
Shakespeare took the bawdy play and hoisted it to the ceiling of human history; so too Son Lux with fuckboy faux-indie
Original score - 73% (★★★★)
Original ranking - #119th
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾𖤓 ⋆⁺₊⋆
20th April 2026 - 80% (★★★★) [+7%]
Updated ranking - #124th [-5]
Oh man, to go back and see these guys live when they were playing their stuff from this and Brighter Wounds era.....
Favorite Tracks:
- Pyre
- No Crimes
- Lost It to Trying
RELISTENED:
NOVEMBER 7, 2024
Lanterns is at its best when its instrumentals are filled with energy and fervor. Alternate World, Lost It To Trying, and No Crimes fit this bill and are easily the highlights on this album along with Easy and Lanterns Lit for my personal, slower and more melancholic picks. Not to say the rest are bad, they are in fact quite enjoyable and even beautiful if played in the right mood, just everything else feels better.
Later projects like Brighter Wounds greatly improve on having quieter, yet ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Alternate World 4:15 | 79 |
| 2 | Lost It to Trying 4:43 | 89 |
| 3 | Ransom 5:09 | 72 |
| 4 | Easy 4:01 | 86 |
| 5 | No Crimes 5:00 | 74 |
| 6 | Pyre 4:56 | 75 |
| 7 | Enough of Our Machines 5:09 | 66 |
| 8 | Plan the Escape 5:32 | 70 |
| 9 | Lanterns Lit 2:56 | 76 |
Total Length: 41 minutes
