On the surface, this work could seem more like an arduous university quiz rather than a new pop project from a musician who just had a last single featured a global pop icon. Broken into 4 different movements and voiced in thirteen tongues, we have a dizzying classical-tinged album that delves into feminine mystery, spiritual ascent, and corporal change, often by way of the lens of various women saints. The dissolution of a romance—a theme handled with raw openness elsewhere—is shot upwards on this record, carried by the constant sound of a major orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter within a long list of collaborators. Its sheer daring alone renders the efforts of other artists appear quite small.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That this album manages to transcend overly academic posturing feels almost miraculous, with sole credit belonging to Rosalía. While it's not her first album to alchemize the past and the present, the stakes feel much greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. What truly elevates this fourth album, beyond its complex tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, proves to be an essential spirit of playfulness. Similar to the iconic artist during her height, there is a wondrous sense to the vocalist's singing which sweeps the listener into its tornado. Even when she's breaking your heart in two, you nevertheless desire to be right there for the ride.
A Signature Example of Exuberance
This playful spirit comes forth brightly on a stunning piano-led song about Saint Clare. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music falls silent, and there's a spontaneous laugh and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo thuds in like cartoonish force. The track then shifts to the wild track driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a surprise appearance from none other than herself.
"The charm with this album lies in you never quite know—nor want to know—where it will go to next."
Nearly each song concludes at a completely different place than how it began. A track examines the fleeting nature of celebrity with a delicate orchestration before disintegrating in digital chaos. Another, a cut echoing her earlier trap-infused work starts off moody and sinister, featuring menacing beats, until fluttering flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus enter to smooth the song's jagged edges.
The Bridge Between Experiment & Accessibility
A key balancing act of Lux is straddling the line between radical innovation and broad accessibility. It is no coincidence that the album has achieved her highest-charting work to break into the upper reaches of key charts: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable hits. A song performed primarily in English swells around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies as it spins upward. That trick is repeated by a different powerful ballad that grows and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes like a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number charms via its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along hook.
- In its words, it aligns the cultural impact of contemporary heartbreak anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological terrorist".
- Throughout the album, the vocals carry a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale character hiding a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You have the podium of disappointment."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
Lux is popular music on a grand scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A artistry in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews solipsism in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully manages its inherent ridiculousness. This is a deep source of buried treasure that requires time to completely explore but never seem like hard work. While other major pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous feast at which the guests at the table, perhaps tipsy on sacred drink, flutter from discussions about ancient saints, the galvanizing sensation of heartbreaking sadness, and shared stories about hopeless partners. In essence, it's a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
