On the surface, this work might appear closer to a challenging academic quiz rather than a new pop project from an artist whose previous hit featured an international pop star. Split into four separate parts and performed in 13 languages, it is a breathtaking orchestral-influenced opus exploring female mystery, spiritual ascent, and physical change, often through the perspective of different saintly figures. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, buoyed by the lush sound of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning composer among a vast roll call of contributors. The pure audacity alone makes the work of other pop stars appear quite small.
Transcending Scholarly Exercise
The fact that this album succeeds in transcend overly intellectual posturing feels nearly a miracle, and full praise going to Rosalía. Although this is not the first time album to fuse historical sounds and the present, the scale are far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What truly elevates this fourth album, outside of its complex tunes, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core sense of joy. Similar to the legendary artist at her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing hearts in two, you still want to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
That playful energy comes forth clearly during the stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool over several minutes. Then, all the music falls silent, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a comment before a comically exaggerated string surge thuds in with cartoonish force. The song then segues into the wild single driven by galloping orchestration, an imposing choral group, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with Lux lies in the listener rarely exactly know—or even wish to know—what you is going next."
Nearly every track finishes at a completely different point from where it started. A track explores the transient trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration before collapsing into electronic cacophony. Another, a song echoing her previous rhythmic style starts off moody and brooding, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco rhythms and an angelic choir enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act of the album is navigating the line between radical innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no coincidence that the album has become her first work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. One track performed entirely in English swells around a refrain that seems to gather increasingly infectious melodies as it spirals skyward. This trick is echoed by a different expansive ballad that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple melodies like a complex weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic hook.
- In its words, it shares with cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist level, an ambitious grasp for high Art in an era of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of buried treasure that takes time to completely mine but doesn't feels like hard work. Where other big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, Lux offers a sumptuous banquet where the guests at the table, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter between discussions about historical saints, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless men. In essence, it's a modern-day theatrical production from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.
