Initially, this album might appear more like an arduous scholarly challenge rather than a new pop project from a musician whose last single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Broken across 4 different parts and performed in 13 languages, this is a breathtaking classical-tinged album investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, often via the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a topic handled with raw openness elsewhere—is launched upwards on this record, supported by the constant presence of a major symphony orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning composer among a long list of contributors. The pure ambition by itself makes the work of contemporary artists look quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Pretense
That Lux manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of a miracle, and complete praise belonging to Rosalía. Although it's not the first time project to alchemize the past with the present, its stakes are far greater here, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained theatricality, is an essential sense of playfulness. Much like the iconic Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its whirlwind. Even when she is tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy for several moments. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a comment before a comically exaggerated string surge thuds down like comedic impact. The song immediately shifts to the frenetic track featuring galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never exactly know—or even wish to know—what you will go to next."
Nearly every song concludes in a completely distinct point from where it started. A track examines the fleeting nature of fame with a delicate symphony before disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Another, a song that recalls her previous trap-infused work begins out moody and brooding, with menacing beats, before fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial achievement on the album involves navigating the line of bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is no surprise that the album has become the artist's highest-charting release to crack the Top 5 of major charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in English swells on a refrain that feels to gather more and more nagging hooks as it spins upward. That feat gets echoed on another expansive track that grows and contracts, weaving multiple tunes as an intricate tapestry.
- A waltz-like song seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, lambasting a former lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a sharp smile, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Soul
Lux represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own inherent excess. This is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires patience to completely mine but never seem like hard work. Where some big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous feast where the characters around the table, some tipsy on sacred wine, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
