Son Lux started in 2007 as the moniker and solo recording project of American musician and composer
Ryan Lott. His 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 his second album,
We Are Rising, on 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 his "haunting rendition" of "Black Waters" was featured in the eponymous
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. Son Lux'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 was 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" (entitled "Remedy, Surging Sea", and included a crowd-sourced choir of over 300 voices). In 2020, the song "Dream State" appeared in Season 1 of the HBO series
The Vow. Also appearing in this season were the songs "Lanterns Lit," and "Change Is Everything." "Dream State" was also featured in 2022 in Season 2 of the series. In February 2021, Son Lux announced that their next album,
Tomorrows III, would be released on April 16, 2021, and was scheduled to be the final album in the
Tomorrows trilogy. In 2022, the band composed the
musical score for the film
Everything Everywhere All At Once. The 49-track soundtrack released on April 8, 2022, and includes collaborations with
Mitski,
David Byrne, a flute-playing
André 3000,
Randy Newman,
Moses Sumney, and
yMusic, plus others. The score was nominated for
Best Original Score at the
95th Academy Awards, where it lost to
Volker Bertelmann's
score for
All Quiet on the Western Front. In 2024, Son Lux, in collaboration with the
Bluecoats, announced a 2-year musical partnership including the use of three Son Lux titles in the 2024 competitive
Drum Corps International season, and new music composed for use in Summer 2025. In 2025, the band composed the
musical score for the
Marvel Cinematic Universe film
Thunderbolts*, with the soundtrack releasing on April 30, 2025. On August 26, a remix of the main suite, entitled "The New Avengers Remix", was released. == Members ==