Kali Uchis is a siren. 

“Don’t play with my heart,” pleads Uchis in her fifth track, “For: You,” but the truth is she’s the one tugging at heartstrings on her newest record. Earlier this year, Uchis dropped her fifth studio album, and last month she gifted listeners the deluxe version, “Sincerely: P.S.,” adding five more tracks to her discography. 

The Colombian-American singer-songwriter is definitely not a stranger to vulnerability — in fact, she dives deeper and explores the complexity of an intimate love. “Sugar! Honey! Love!” tells a story that we’re already familiar with: Giving your all in a relationship only for it to end in betrayal. Until a love, in the truest form, allows for Uchi’s faith to be restored. “Lose My Cool,” captures the beauty of surrender into two parts: the storm of losing that control and the calm after letting go. The rhythm is almost like a breath of fresh air, but also the feeling of floating. A whispery love, the second part is where one can feel Uchis’ siren call, the listener can’t help but get hypnotized and sway along with the beat. 

Through seamless production, Uchis, 31 years old and a new mother, melts into “It’s Just Us,” in which she contemplates the brevity of time and how chasing worldly desires ultimately leads nowhere. The song serves as a reminder that while life itself is fleeting, the sincerity of love can transcend time. Through it, Uchis opens a window into her personal struggles, yet she never lets those hardships hinder her ability to transform emotion into art. 

The album moves into a sensual exploration of the complexity of intimacy. In “For: You,” the desire to do everything humanly possible for a loved one is impossible not to relate to, painting a different level of intimacy of self-sacrifice for the hopes of another. The mood is softened in “Silk Lingerie,” which captures the safety and luxury of vulnerability when trusting a loved one. We are all our own worst critics, but Uchis invites self-acceptance, reminding us that we can be loved, not in spite of, but because of our flaws. 

While some of the deluxe tracks offer themes of a jukeboxesque and glitter pen vibe, the production intertwines this fun flavor without disrupting Uchi’s storytelling. Concluding with “All of the Good,” Uchis reflects fondly on her relationship despite its ending. In a world where hookup culture clouds hearts and leaves us yearning for emotionality, this album reminds us that experiencing the true and genuineness of love is better than letting its memory fade away.

This album offers a tender story of love, acceptance and self-reflection, with each of the lyrics offering a vulnerable, fragile and gleaming honesty. Uchis creates a space for listeners to be immersed in the storytelling, sometimes gently, others painfully. The production between tracks seems almost effortless, each song melts together like honey. 

This album is truly a gift wrapped by God.