At first glance, this work may look closer to a challenging academic examination than a new popular music record from an artist whose previous single was a collaboration with an international K-pop icon. Split into four distinct sections and performed in thirteen languages, this is a head-spinning symphonic work that delves into feminine mystique, religious transcendence, and physical transformation, often via the perspective of different female saints. The dissolution of a romance—a topic handled with grounded openness elsewhere—soars upwards on this record, carried by the constant presence of a full symphony orchestra and work from an award-winning songwriter within a long list of collaborators. The pure daring alone makes the work of other pop stars seem rather laughable.
Rising Above Scholarly Exercise
The fact that Lux manages to avoid dry academic chin-stroking feels nearly miraculous, with complete credit going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to alchemize the past with modern styles, the ambitions feel far higher on Lux, and the tightrope walk far more pronounced. What truly raises this fourth album, beyond its multilayered melodies, dense arrangements, and inherent theatricality, proves to be a core sense of fun. Much like the legendary Björk during her peak, you find a wondrous quality to Rosalía's singing that pulls you into its tornado. When she's tearing hearts in two, the listener still desire to stay right there through the ride.
A Signature Moment of Exuberance
This playful energy comes forth clearly during a stirring piano-led ballad inspired by a saint. It bathes in a string-drenched whirlpool for more than four moments. Then, all the music drops away, and we hear a gleeful laugh and a declaration prior to a comically exaggerated orchestral crescendo crashes down like cartoonish force. The song then segues to the wild track driven by galloping strings, an imposing choir, and a surprise appearance from the artist Björk.
"The magic of Lux is that the listener rarely quite know—nor want to know—where it will go next."
Nearly each track concludes at a totally distinct point than where it started. A track examines the fleeting trappings of fame over a delicate symphony only to collapsing in electronic chaos. Another, a cut echoing her previous rhythmic style starts off dark and sinister, with menacing vocals, before sudden flamenco handclaps and a heavenly chorus arrive to soften the song's rough corners.
The Bridge Of Experiment and Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album is straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream accessibility. This is no surprise that it has achieved her first work to break into the Top 5 of major charts: at its core a collection of utterly undeniable pop songs. A song performed primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that seems to gather more and more nagging melodies while it spirals skyward. This trick gets repeated on another powerful ballad that grows and constricts, weaving layered melodies as an intricate tapestry.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its playful, Disney-adjacent drama and a chant-along chorus.
- In its words, it aligns the pop culture impact of other heartbreak songs, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "emotional bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on edge, akin to a fairy-tale character concealing a blade: "Gold medal in being a motherfucker / You have the podium of letdown."
An Opulent Feast for the Soul
Lux is pop on a maximalist scale, a hungry reach for high Art amid of looming AI-generated blankness. It eschews self-absorption in favor of sublime elevation, creating an over-the-top drama that skillfully controls its own inherent ridiculousness. This is an abundant well of buried gems that takes patience to fully mine but never feels like a chore. While some big releases of the year seemed like feasting on meal, Lux offers a lavish banquet at which the guests at the table, some intoxicated on holy wine, flit from discussions about ancient figures, the profound sensation of heartbreaking grief, and shared gossip about useless men. In essence, it's a contemporary theatrical production from music's most restlessly inventive visionary.
