On the surface, this work could seem more like an arduous academic quiz rather than the latest pop record by an artist who just had a last hit featured an international pop star. Split across 4 different parts and sung in 13 languages, it is a dizzying classical-tinged work investigating female mystery, religious transcendence, and bodily transformation, often via the perspective of different women saints. The end of a relationship—a theme handled with grounded openness elsewhere—is shot heavenward here, buoyed by the constant sound of a full orchestra and work from a Pulitzer-winning songwriter among a vast list of collaborators. The pure audacity by itself makes the work of contemporary pop stars look rather modest.
Transcending Scholarly Pretense
The fact that this album succeeds in escape dry intellectual chin-stroking is almost a miracle, and complete praise going to Rosalía. While this is not her first project to fuse historical sounds and the present, the ambitions are much greater on Lux, with the tightrope walk more dramatic. The element that really elevates this fourth release, beyond its multilayered tunes, dense compositions, and engrained drama, is a core spirit of fun. Similar to the iconic artist during her peak, there is a captivating quality to the vocalist's singing that pulls you up in its tornado. When she's breaking your heart in two, the listener nevertheless desire to be right there for the ride.
A Prime Example of Exuberance
That exuberant spirit shines clearly during the stunning Italian song inspired by a saint. It luxuriates in a sorrowful melancholy over more than four minutes. Then, all the music drops away, to reveal there's a gleeful giggle and a comment prior to a comically over-the-top orchestral crescendo crashes in with comedic impact. The song immediately segues into the frenetic single driven by racing strings, a powerful choral group, and a cameo role from the artist herself.
"The charm of this album is that you rarely quite understand—nor wish to know—where it is going next."
Almost each song concludes at a completely distinct place from how it began. A track explores the fleeting nature of celebrity over a featherlight symphony only to disintegrating in electronic chaos. Elsewhere, a song that recalls the artist's earlier rhythmic work starts off dark and brooding, featuring prowling beats, before fluttering flamenco handclaps and an angelic choir enter to soften the song's rough edges.
The Balance Between Art & Pop
Another crucial balancing act on the album is straddling the line of bold innovation and mainstream appeal. This is no surprise that the album has become the artist's first work to crack the upper reaches of major markets: its heart contains a collection of truly undeniable pop songs. One track performed primarily in the English language builds around a chorus that feels to collect more and more infectious hooks as it spirals upward. This trick gets echoed by a different powerful track that expands and contracts, intertwining layered melodies like an intricate weave.
- A dance-infused number seduces with its jaunty, Disney-adjacent flair and an anthemic chorus.
- In its words, it shares the pop culture impact of contemporary breakup anthems, eviscerating an ex- lover described as an "psychological bully".
- Across the album, the singing have a painted-on smile, like a fairy-tale figure hiding a knife: "Gold medal in acting like a motherfucker / You've won the trophy of letdown."
A Maximalist Feast for the Ears
This album is popular music on a grand level, a hungry reach for capital-A Art in an era of impending AI-generated sameness. It eschews self-absorption for sublime elevation, creating a dramatic drama that masterfully manages its inherent excess. It is an abundant source of hidden treasure that takes time to fully explore but doesn't feels like hard work. While other big pop albums of the year seemed like feasting on scraps, Lux is a sumptuous feast at which the characters at it, some intoxicated on sacred drink, flutter from discussions about ancient figures, the profound feeling of heartbreaking grief, and common gossip about hopeless men. It is a modern-day musical from music's truly endlessly inventive practitioner.
