On the surface, Lux could seem closer to an arduous academic quiz rather than the latest pop project by a musician whose last hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Broken across four separate parts and performed in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album that delves into female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical transformation, often through the perspective of different women saints. The end of a love affair—a topic handled with grounded honesty elsewhere—soars upwards here, carried by the lush presence of a major symphony orchestra and input from an award-winning composer within a vast list of contributors. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary pop stars seem quite small.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album manages to avoid dry academic posturing is nothing short of a miracle, with full credit belonging to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to blend historical sounds with the present, its stakes feel much higher on Lux, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What truly raises this fourth release, beyond its complex melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of fun. Much like the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous sense to the vocalist's voice which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. When she's tearing hearts apart, you still want to stay right there through the ride.
A Prime Example of Joy
That playful spirit shines clearly on a stunning Italian song inspired by Saint Clare. It luxuriates in a string-drenched whirlpool for several moments. Suddenly, everything drops silent, to reveal we hear a gleeful laugh and a comment before a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in with cartoonish impact. The song immediately shifts to the wild single featuring racing strings, an imposing choral group, and a cameo role from the artist Björk.
"The charm of this album lies in you never exactly understand—nor want to know—where you will go next."
Nearly each song concludes in a totally distinct place from how it started. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity over a delicate symphony only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls her earlier trap-infused style starts out moody and brooding, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on Lux is navigating the gap of bold experimentation and mainstream appeal. It is no coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting release to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language builds on a refrain that seems to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spins skyward. That trick gets echoed by a different expansive ballad that grows and contracts, weaving layered tunes as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along hook.
- Lyrically, it shares with cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, lambasting a former lover labeled an "psychological bully".
- Throughout the album, the singing have a sharp edge, like a storybook character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Banquet for the Ears
This album is popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry amid of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top drama that masterfully controls its own inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that requires patience to completely mine but never seem like a chore. Where some big releases of the year felt like a meager meal, this record is a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred wine, flit between conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing feeling of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.
