Initially, Lux could seem more like an arduous university challenge than a new pop project by an artist whose previous single featured an international pop star. Divided across four distinct parts and sung in thirteen tongues, we have a breathtaking symphonic album that delves into female mystique, spiritual ascent, and bodily transformation, frequently via the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a relationship—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—soars heavenward here, supported by the constant sound of a major symphony orchestra and contributions from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a vast roll call of contributors. Its sheer audacity alone makes the work of contemporary artists appear rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to escape dry intellectual chin-stroking is nothing short of miraculous, with full credit going to the artist. While this is not her first project to blend historical sounds and the present, its stakes feel much higher on Lux, with the balancing act more pronounced. The element that truly raises this fourth album, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential sense of fun. Much like the legendary Björk at her height, you find a captivating quality to Rosalía's voice which sweeps you into its tornado. Even when she is breaking hearts apart, the listener still want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Prime Example of Joy
That exuberant energy comes forth brightly during the stirring Italian ballad inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a string-drenched melancholy for several minutes. Suddenly, all the music falls away, and we hear a gleeful laugh followed by a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top string crescendo thuds down with cartoonish impact. The track then shifts to the wild single driven by galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The charm with Lux is that you never exactly know—or even want to predict—what you will go to next."
Almost each song ends at a totally different place than how it began. One moment explores the transient nature of fame with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing her earlier rhythmic style starts out dark and brooding, featuring prowling vocals, before sudden traditional rhythms and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the gap of radical experimentation and broad appeal. This is no coincidence that it has achieved her first release to crack the upper reaches of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed primarily in the English language swells on a chorus that seems to collect increasingly nagging melodies as it spirals skyward. This feat is repeated by another expansive ballad that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
This album is pop on a grand scale, an ambitious reach for high artistry amid of looming AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating an over-the-top spectacle that skillfully controls its own inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that requires time to completely mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where other major pop albums of the year seemed like a meager meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the guests around the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flutter from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing feeling of soul-shattering sadness, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a contemporary musical from music's most endlessly inventive visionary.
