At first glance, this album might appear more like a challenging scholarly examination than the latest pop record by a musician whose last single featured a global K-pop star. Broken into 4 distinct movements and sung in thirteen tongues, this is a dizzying orchestral-influenced work exploring female mystique, religious ascent, and corporal change, often through the lens of various female saints. The end of a relationship—a topic handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is launched skyward here, supported by the lush presence of a full orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter among a long list of collaborators. Its sheer audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary artists appear rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
The fact that this album manages to avoid overly intellectual posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, and full praise belonging to Rosalía. While it's not the first time project to blend historical sounds and the present, its ambitions are much higher on Lux, with the balancing act far more dramatic. What truly raises this fourth album, outside of its complex melodies, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is a core sense of joy. Much like the iconic Björk at her height, there is a captivating sense to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. Even when she is tearing hearts apart, the listener still want to be right there for the journey.
A Prime Moment of Joy
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly on the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over several minutes. Then, everything falls silent, and we hear a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top string crescendo thuds in with comedic impact. The song immediately segues to the wild track featuring galloping strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic with this album lies in the listener rarely quite understand—or even want to predict—what you will go to next."
Almost every track concludes in a totally different point from where it began. One moment explores the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her earlier trap-infused style starts out moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, before sudden traditional handclaps and an angelic chorus arrive to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment and Accessibility
Another crucial achievement of the album involves straddling the line between bold experimentation and broad accessibility. This is little coincidence that it has achieved the artist's first release to break into the Top 5 of key markets: at its core a collection of utterly catchy pop songs. One track sung primarily in English swells on a refrain that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks while it spirals upward. That feat is echoed on another powerful track that expands and constricts, weaving multiple melodies like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces via its playful, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture impact of other breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "emotional terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the vocals carry a sharp edge, like a storybook figure concealing a knife: "Top prize in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is pop on a maximalist level, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry amid of looming artificial blankness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that skillfully manages its own inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried gems that takes time to fully mine but never seem like hard work. While some major releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around it, perhaps tipsy on holy drink, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and common stories about useless partners. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly inventive visionary.
