At first glance, this work may look more like an arduous university quiz rather than a new pop album by a musician whose last single was a collaboration with a global K-pop icon. Split across 4 distinct sections and performed in 13 tongues, we have a dizzying orchestral-influenced album investigating female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and physical change, frequently by way of the prism of different women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme treated with raw openness elsewhere—is launched upwards here, supported by the constant presence of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long roll call of contributors. The pure audacity alone renders the work of contemporary pop stars look rather laughable.
Transcending Academic Pretense
The fact that Lux manages to transcend dry intellectual chin-stroking feels almost a miracle, with complete credit going to the artist. While it's not the first time project to alchemize the past with modern styles, its scale feel much greater here, and the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really raises her fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent drama, is a core spirit of playfulness. Much like the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing which sweeps the listener up in its tornado. Even when she's tearing your heart apart, the listener nevertheless want to stay right there for the ride.
A Signature Moment of Joy
This playful spirit comes forth clearly during the stirring piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous laugh and a declaration prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in like cartoonish force. The song then shifts to the frenetic track featuring racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a cameo appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm of this album is that the listener never quite understand—or even wish to know—what you will go to next."
Almost every track concludes at a completely distinct place from where it began. One moment examines the transient nature of celebrity with a featherlight symphony before collapsing into electronic chaos. Another, a cut that recalls her earlier rhythmic style starts off dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, before sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly choir arrive to smooth its jagged edges.
The Balance Between Art & Accessibility
Another crucial balancing act on the album involves navigating the line of radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that it has become the artist's first release to crack the Top 5 of major markets: its heart contains a suite of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in English builds on a chorus that feels to gather more and more infectious melodies as it spirals upward. This trick is echoed by a different expansive track that grows and constricts, intertwining multiple tunes like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup songs, eviscerating a former partner described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Across the album, the vocals carry a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Banquet for the Ears
Lux represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It rejects solipsism for sublime elevation, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully controls its built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant well of hidden gems that requires patience to completely explore but never feels like a chore. While some big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux is a sumptuous banquet where the guests at the table, perhaps intoxicated on sacred wine, flutter from conversations about ancient figures, the profound sensation of soul-shattering grief, and shared gossip about useless partners. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly restlessly inventive visionary.
