On the surface, this work could seem more like an arduous scholarly examination than a new popular music project from a musician whose previous hit was a collaboration with a global K-pop star. Split into four separate movements and sung in thirteen tongues, it is a dizzying symphonic album that delves into feminine mystery, religious ascent, and physical change, frequently by way of the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic treated with raw openness elsewhere—soars upwards here, carried by the lush sound of a major orchestra and input from an award-winning songwriter within a long roll call of collaborators. Its sheer daring by itself makes the efforts of other pop stars appear quite modest.
Rising Above Academic Pretense
That Lux manages to transcend overly academic posturing is almost a miracle, and full credit belonging to the artist. While this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds and the present, its scale feel far greater here, with the tightrope walk far more pronounced. The element that truly elevates her fourth release, outside of its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and engrained drama, is a core spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic Björk at her height, there is a captivating sense to Rosalía's singing which sweeps you up in its tornado. When she's breaking hearts in two, you nevertheless desire to be alongside her through the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit comes forth brightly during a stunning piano-led ballad about a saint. It bathes in a sorrowful whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, everything drops away, and there's a gleeful giggle and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down with cartoonish force. The song then segues into the wild single driven by galloping orchestration, a powerful choral group, and a surprise role from the artist Björk.
"The magic of this album lies in you never quite know—nor wish to predict—where you will go to next."
Almost each track finishes at a totally different point than how it began. One moment examines the fleeting trappings of celebrity with a featherlight orchestration only to collapsing into digital chaos. Elsewhere, a song echoing her previous rhythmic work starts off moody and brooding, with prowling vocals, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften its jagged edges.
The Bridge Of Experiment & Accessibility
Another crucial achievement on Lux involves navigating the line between radical experimentation and mainstream appeal. This is no coincidence that the album has achieved the artist's highest-charting work to break into the Top 5 of key charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable hits. A song performed entirely in English swells on a chorus that feels to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spirals skyward. This feat is repeated by another powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining multiple tunes as a complex tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and a chant-along chorus.
- Lyrically, it shares with pop culture impact of contemporary heartbreak songs, lambasting a former partner labeled an "psychological terrorist".
- Across these tracks, the singing carry a painted-on smile, like a storybook character concealing a knife: "Gold medal in being a scoundrel / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Soul
This album represents pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry grasp for capital-A Art in an era of impending artificial blankness. It rejects solipsism in favor of glorious transcendence, crafting a dramatic spectacle that masterfully controls its own built-in ridiculousness. It is an abundant source of hidden gems that takes time to fully mine but doesn't feels like a chore. Where other big releases of the year felt like feasting on scraps, this record is a sumptuous banquet at which the characters around the table, some tipsy on sacred drink, flit between conversations about historical figures, the galvanizing sensation of soul-shattering sadness, and common stories about hopeless men. It is a modern-day theatrical production from pop's truly endlessly creative practitioner.
