At first glance, this work could seem closer to a difficult scholarly examination rather than a new popular music album from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with an international K-pop star. Split into four different movements and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking orchestral-influenced album exploring feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, often through the lens of various women saints. The end of a romance—a topic treated with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward here, carried by the lush sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of contributors. The pure audacity alone makes the work of other pop stars look rather small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album succeeds in avoid overly intellectual posturing is nearly a miracle, with full credit belonging to the artist. Although it's not the first time project to alchemize the past and the present, its stakes feel far greater here, and the balancing act more precarious. The element that really raises her fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing your heart apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
This exuberant spirit shines clearly during a stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration prior to a hilariously exaggerated orchestral crescendo thuds down like cartoonish force. The song then shifts into the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm of Lux lies in the listener never exactly know—or even want to know—what it will go next."
Nearly every song concludes in a totally distinct place from how it began. One moment explores the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused style begins off dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, until sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic choir arrive to soften its rough corners.
The Balance Between Experiment and Pop
A key achievement of the album is straddling the gap of radical innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has become her highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: at its core a suite of truly catchy hits. A song sung entirely in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging hooks as it spins upward. That trick gets echoed on another expansive ballad that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it shares the cultural honesty of other heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals have a painted-on smile, akin to a fairy-tale figure hiding a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
Lux is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried gems that takes time to completely explore but never seem like a chore. While some big releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters at it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flutter from conversations about ancient figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about hopeless partners. It is a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly creative visionary.
