At first glance, this work could seem closer to a challenging university challenge than a new pop project by a musician who just had a last single featured an international K-pop star. Divided into four different sections and sung in 13 tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal change, often by way of the lens of various saintly figures. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars skyward on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a full symphony orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within an extensive roll call of collaborators. Its sheer ambition by itself renders the work of contemporary pop stars seem quite laughable.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to transcend overly intellectual chin-stroking is nearly a miracle, and full praise belonging to the artist. While this is not the first time album to blend historical sounds with modern styles, its scale feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk far more dramatic. The element that really raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered tunes, rich compositions, and inherent theatricality, is a core sense of fun. Similar to the iconic artist at her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its tornado. Even when she's tearing hearts apart, the listener nevertheless desire to be alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
This exuberant spirit comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led ballad about a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Suddenly, everything falls away, and we hear a spontaneous laugh followed by a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral surge crashes in like cartoonish impact. The track immediately shifts to the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a cameo appearance from none other than Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in you never exactly understand—or even want to know—where you is going next."
Nearly every track finishes in a totally different point from how it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration only to disintegrating into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut echoing the artist's earlier rhythmic work starts out moody and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional rhythms and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged corners.
The Bridge Between Art & Accessibility
A key achievement on Lux is navigating the gap between bold experimentation and broad appeal. This is little surprise that the album has achieved her first release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells around a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spirals upward. That feat is echoed by a different powerful ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the pop culture honesty of other breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a blade: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry in an era of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects solipsism in favor of sublime transcendence, crafting an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of hidden treasure that takes time to fully mine but never feels like hard work. While other big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record is a sumptuous feast at which the guests around it, perhaps tipsy on sacred wine, flutter between conversations about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared stories about useless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's most endlessly inventive practitioner.
