At first glance, this work might appear more like a difficult university challenge rather than a new pop record from a musician whose previous single was a collaboration with a global pop icon. Split across 4 different movements and performed in thirteen languages, we have a head-spinning orchestral-influenced work exploring feminine mystique, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, often via the perspective of various women saints. The end of a romance—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—soars upwards here, carried by the lush presence of a major orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter among a vast roll call of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the work of contemporary artists look rather modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That Lux succeeds in transcend dry academic posturing is nearly a miracle, and complete praise going to the artist. While this is not the first time album to alchemize the past with modern styles, the ambitions feel much higher here, and the balancing act far more dramatic. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its complex melodies, rich compositions, and engrained drama, is a core sense of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist at her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's voice that pulls you up in its whirlwind. When she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless want to stay alongside her for the journey.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful energy shines clearly during the stirring Italian ballad inspired by Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Suddenly, everything drops silent, and there's a spontaneous giggle followed by a comment before a hilariously exaggerated orchestral surge crashes down with comedic force. The track then segues to the frenetic single driven by racing orchestration, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist herself.
"The charm with this album lies in the listener never quite know—or even wish to know—what you is going next."
Almost each song finishes at a totally different place than where it started. One moment examines the transient trappings of fame with a delicate symphony only to collapsing into electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a cut that recalls the artist's previous trap-infused work begins off dark and sinister, featuring menacing vocals, until fluttering traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to soften its rough edges.
The Balance Of Experiment & Pop
A key achievement of Lux is straddling the line between bold experimentation and mainstream accessibility. It is little surprise that the album has achieved the artist's first release to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of utterly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in the English language swells on a chorus that feels to collect increasingly infectious hooks as it spins skyward. This trick gets echoed by a different expansive track that expands and contracts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate weave.
- A waltz-like number seduces with its jaunty, theatrical flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares the cultural honesty of contemporary breakup songs, lambasting a former lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the vocals have a sharp edge, akin to a fairy-tale figure concealing a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album represents popular music on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption for glorious elevation, creating a dramatic spectacle that masterfully manages its own built-in excess. This is a deep source of buried gems that requires time to completely explore but doesn't seem like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record offers a lavish banquet at which the guests around the table, some tipsy on holy wine, flit from discussions about historical saints, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering grief, and common gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from pop's most endlessly creative practitioner.
