At first glance, this album may look more like an arduous scholarly examination than a new pop project from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split into 4 separate sections and performed in thirteen tongues, we have a head-spinning symphonic work exploring female mystique, religious transcendence, and corporal transformation, often through the prism of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a love affair—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, supported by the lush presence of a full orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning composer within an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself makes the efforts of contemporary pop stars seem rather modest.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that this album manages to escape overly academic chin-stroking feels nothing short of miraculous, with complete credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not her first album to blend historical sounds and modern styles, the ambitions are far higher here, and the tightrope walk more precarious. What truly raises this fourth album, beyond its complex melodies, rich arrangements, and inherent drama, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the legendary Björk during her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This exuberant energy comes forth clearly during the stirring Italian ballad about Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several moments. Suddenly, all the music drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment prior to a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts into the wild track featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from none other than Björk.
"The charm with this album lies in you never exactly know—or even want to know—what you will go next."
Nearly each song concludes at a completely different point than how it began. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration only to collapsing into electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing the artist's previous rhythmic work starts out moody and brooding, with prowling beats, before fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
A key balancing act on the album is navigating the gap between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to crack the upper reaches of major charts: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track sung primarily in the English language builds around a refrain that seems to gather more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That trick is echoed by a different expansive ballad that grows and constricts, weaving layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of other heartbreak songs, lambasting an ex- lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of sublime transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried treasure that requires time to fully explore but never feels like a chore. Where other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous feast at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from pop's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
