At first glance, this album may look closer to a challenging university examination rather than a new popular music project from an artist whose last hit featured an international pop star. Split into 4 different sections and performed in thirteen languages, we have a breathtaking orchestral-influenced opus exploring female mystery, spiritual transcendence, and corporal transformation, frequently via the prism of different female saints. The end of a love affair—a theme handled with raw honesty elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, carried by the lush presence of a major orchestra and input from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a long list of contributors. The pure daring by itself makes the work of other pop stars appear quite laughable.
Transcending Academic Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to escape overly academic posturing feels nothing short of miraculous, with full praise going to Rosalía. While it's not the first time album to fuse the past with modern styles, the scale feel far greater on Lux, with the balancing act more precarious. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, rich arrangements, and engrained drama, is an essential spirit of fun. Similar to the legendary Björk at her peak, you find a captivating sense to Rosalía's voice which sweeps the listener into its whirlwind. Even when she's tearing your heart in two, you nevertheless want to be right there through the ride.
A Signature Example of Joy
This playful energy comes forth brightly on a stirring Italian song about a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched melancholy for several moments. Then, everything drops away, and we hear a spontaneous giggle and a comment prior to a hilariously over-the-top orchestral surge thuds down like cartoonish force. The track immediately segues to the frenetic track driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist herself.
"The magic of Lux is that you rarely quite understand—nor wish to know—what you is going to next."
Almost each song ends at a completely distinct point than where it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame over a featherlight orchestration before disintegrating into electronic cacophony. Elsewhere, a song echoing the artist's previous trap-infused style starts off moody and brooding, with prowling beats, until sudden traditional handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth its rough edges.
The Balance Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act of the album is straddling the line between bold innovation and mainstream appeal. It is no surprise that the album has achieved her first work to break into the Top 5 of key markets: its heart contains a collection of truly catchy hits. One track performed entirely in English builds on a refrain that feels to gather increasingly nagging melodies while it spirals upward. That feat is repeated on a different expansive track that expands and constricts, intertwining multiple melodies as an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused song charms with its playful, theatrical flair and an anthemic hook.
- Lyrically, it aligns the pop culture honesty of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating a former partner described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout these tracks, the singing have a sharp smile, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Top prize in acting like a motherfucker / You have the podium of disappointment."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It rejects self-absorption in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting an over-the-top spectacle that masterfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried treasure that takes patience to fully explore but never feels like hard work. While other major releases of the year felt like feasting on meal, this record offers a sumptuous feast at which the guests around the table, some intoxicated on holy drink, flit between conversations about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. In essence, it's a contemporary musical from pop's most endlessly creative visionary.
